Roman
by Awesomepossum328
Summary: When Romans invade her village, either stealing or killing the people, Piper does what her conscious tells her to. Welcome to the Colosseum.
1. Roman

**Hey guys, I'm starting a new story, a Jasper one! Whoo! I'm getting over pneumonia, so bear with me here, because now that I've had it (twice now) I'm more prone to it, so it's hard to write when you're coughing up a lung every second. Not only that, but I'm prone to bronchitis. I just have air way problems, so just hang with me. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

**Yes, I have a magical machine that'll turn me into Rick Riordan...**

* * *

_Piper_

Piper McLean awoke refreshed with a sense of happiness, something she usually possessed. With the exception of a late mother, there was no reason for Piper to be unhappy. When she glanced out her bedroom window, and watched the morning sunrise, she thought to herself how wonderful it was to live in Rome.

Piper and her father, Tristan, resided in a small village, two weeks journey from the city of Rome. They lived in a small cottage, with at least two brick crumbling off each day, near the edge of the village. Aside from the collapsing house, they were in good shape.

With a goat for cheese and milk, and a sheep for wool to make clothing, they weren't bad off in such a lowly life. Some may say their existence is rough, a life that very few would choose to live, but they wouldn't trade it for anything. While they made not have much money, they had family and love, and that's all they really needed.

Tristan McLean was one of the most well known men in the village, a strong handsome type that every single women within fifty years of his age fawned over. He was a performer at the village's only tavern, the local place to forget your worries and possibly your own name. Tristan was a musician who enjoyed his job, a rare quality amongst the working men.

Everyone in town, including the youngest of the children, had at least danced to his music once. Though in a star role in the public eye may seem unsettling to others, Tristan used it to his advantage. He used it to block everything else out. His wife, his beautiful wife, had died only four days after the birth of their daughter; leaving Tristan a baby girl, he had no idea how to care for.

Tristan had a different outlook on life than most. Any other man who had lost a wife would mourn for years, maybe drown in alcohol a few times, before he was ready to continue his life. Not Tristan. He would never remarry. He knew that he could never find a wife that could match the one he'd lost, so he never tried.

Years of made-up games, and burning homemade meals took the place of mourning in a bottle. He insisted on waking on every morning at dawn to watch the sun come up, explaining that he had only built the cottage in that exact spot of uneven land, because it had the perfect view of the sunrise. He was perfectly different, and Piper loved him for that.

Habit caused Piper to do the same as her father by awaking at the first peek of light. After the entire sun was visible on the horizon, Piper stretched her tired bones, standing to get ready for the day. She put on the same clothing she had wore the day before, it wasn't like she owned enough for each day of the week.

She rushed from her bedroom towards the kitchen, before breakfast was burned by her father. He stood at the stove, watching the porridge burn. Her father never made porridge correctly a day in his life, she walked up next to him, and hip-bumped him out of the way. She grabbed down a small bit of cinnamon from the little bit they had, and sprinkled it into the porridge, mixing it together.

She took a taste, nodding to herself, before taking two bowls from her father's hands, as dishes were his job and cooking was hers. She poured a little more into his bowl, as usual, leaving a little more in the warm pot, knowing he was bound to request more. She put out the fire in their old rusted stove, and took her seat at their hand carved wooden table.

Piper took large bites, despite the known fact that it would burn the roof of her mouth, as it always did. They ate in silence until Piper took up a conversation.

"So, I'll be coming to see your performance at the tavern tonight..." Piper started.

And that was all it took. Her father was off on how he had put together a new piece of music that he was sure everyone would enjoy. He spoke of how his old citole was playing as well as it did when he had received it as a gift so many years ago. Piper smiled at her father's love for his work.

He could go on for hours, but Piper stopped him about ten minutes later, kissing his cheek goodbye before she left to visit her friend, Katie. He accepted the interruption without any protest, and bid her goodbye. As Piper turned the door knob to leave, he cleared his throat. She turned back to him, he wore a playful smile on his face.

"Hey, Pipes? Is there any porridge left?"

She returned his smile, as she did every morning, "On the stove."

* * *

At a tavern, there is drinking.

Sometimes there is a little much... Most every time there is a little much, but that all made for a joyful night. Everyone came to forget their worries, have a fun time with their friends, and to hear a bit of good music from Tristan McLean. He'd start on the old piano in the corner, the one with six broken keys, and then he'd sing and strum his citole.

Piper walked into the tavern a little later than usual. Her father had already begun his performance for the night, winking at her as she walked in. Piper smiled in return, as she snuck up behind two old friends at the bar. She thought about surprising them, but then she considered the possibility of a heart attack in their drunken state. Instead she sat down next to their right, and started with a hello.

"Hey, Gleeson." She greeted. "Hey, Mr. D"

Gleeson Hedge was a small pudgy man, similar to his friend Mr. D. No one know the first name of Mr. D, just that he didn't tell anyone for any amount of bribery. Both wore grape-stained togas, and blurry expressions, as if their brains were trying to focus on her face, to remember her name.

Gleeson got it first, "Well, hellooo, Miss. Piper." His words were long and slurred.

"Ah yes, Penelope," Mr. D. greeted, always refusing to get anyone's name correct. "How are you this fine evening? Gregor and I were simply enjoying the refreshments." Mr. D's words were louder, but not slurred as Gleeson's.

"I am simply wonderful." Piper laughed at both of them. "Thank you for asking."

Mr. D took another sip of his drink, "You are most welcome." Then he looked at his cup of ale, "Oh, where have my manners run to this time? Would you care for some ale?"

"No, thank you." Piper said. "I don't drink."

"Whaaaaat?" Gleeson looked shocked in his daze. "I'm surprised no boy has offered to by you a drink with your coming of age so close, if my memory serves me right."

Even in his drunken sense, Gleeson remembered. Piper would soon turn fifteen, in the coming week, in fact. This was an important milestone, when the boys of her age and older would try for her hand in marriage. Piper had never really been interested in any of them, as they were all rude and arrogant. She would have to marry one of them to carry on the McLean family tree, a sacrifice she was willing to make.

After giving an ignored warning of light drinking, Piper bid a goodbye to both of the men, and left them to sit at a table closer to her father's performance stage, but close enough to the bar to watch when to pay the bartender to start serving Gleeson and Mr. D lemon water.

She was at her table for all of three minutes when Gleeson's drunk work became reality. A young man, maybe a year or two ahead of her, tapped her shoulder. Piper turned around and looked at him. His chest was strong and sturdy, as were his other muscles. He was tall, and his face was handsome with sharp features. His brown hair was brushed away from his face, is a natural windblown way. Piper's breath caught at the sight of him, but not for that reason.

She knew this boy. He was the rudest of all the boys from her school days, before the teacher left the village a few years back. He was the kind of boy that had no respect for the female population. Piper had seen him date and dump girls, he was known for his record time of two hours. So, what did he want?

"Uh, hey." The boy said, his eyes were groggy. He was drunk.

"Hi." Piper barely even turned her head.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

"No, thank you. I don't drink."

"Well, you gotta drink sometime in your life. Why don't I buy you a cup of ale?"

Piper turned towards him, looking into his eyes to ensure he knew she was serious. "I don't drink." Piper repeated, and stood up to find a different table, thinking he got the message.

"Hey." His clouded eyes turned dark, as he grabbed her wrist. "I don't take 'no' for an answer."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to this time." Piper said. "Now let go of my wrist."

"I don't take 'no' for an answer." His grip on her wrist tightened.

"Ow." Piper said. "You're hurting me, please let go."

He twist her wrist into a strange position that gave Piper an excessive amount of pain, but she refused to cry out.

"Please." Piper begged. "Please stop."

"I don't take 'no' for an answer."

He pushed her wrist farther, Piper felt a pop. She knew that it wasn't a break, or even a fracture, but it would be soon. Piper bit her lip down in pain, looking pleadingly at the man. She could feel the man building up the strength to take it to the next level, where he'd break her wrist.

"Is there a problem here?" Another man said.

Piper looked up to the man, but couldn't tell much. His face was covered by a mysterious purple cloak that cascaded down his body. He was muscled with brute force. Piper couldn't decide whether she was enthusiastic towards his intervention or the opposite.

"No." The man with a grip on Piper's wrist insisted. "I was just going to buy her a drink."

Piper's eyes pleaded differently, hoping he'd see the lie. The cloaked man glanced at the death hold on Piper's wrist, and spotted the tension in her bone. He looked back to the other man.

"I don't think that's the case." He said, casually pushing back his cape to reveal a sharpened sword in a polished scabbard. "Release her."

The man did as told, fearing a fight, and stalked away, grumbling. Piper rubbed her sore wrist, and gave the man a thankful smile, too frightened to even speak.

"Are you all right?" The man asked, he sounded more saddened than concerned.

"I'm," Piper stuttered. "I'm fine, just a little shaken, I guess."

"All right, then. Goodbye." The man walked away, the cloak still concealing his face, as Piper waved a goodbye in return.

Piper turned back to her father's performance, deciding on not telling him about the incident, but keeping aware of her surroundings. Tristan began playing a lively tune, and people, drunk and sober, stood and began to dance. They danced alone, they danced with each other, other stood off to the side and simply clapped to the beat. This was how it should be.

Piper felt an uneasy sensation growing, as more men shadowed by cloaks entered the tavern. She doubted anyone else noticed as they were all having such a wonderful time, but Piper noticed. This was unusual, she did not recognize any of men's cloaks or body form. She was from a village where everyone was familiar, sometimes even more than she's like. But these men, they were not from around her, and she knew that.

Piper was about to speak up, when a man burst into the tavern, interrupting the fun, and beating Piper to spoken words.

"The Romans are here!" He yelled.

Romans?

Piper was not given time to think, as the cloaked men through back their concealment, revealing Roman soldier uniforms. One soldier, still concealed in his cloak, stepped behind the man who warned everyone, and dragged his sword across the man's throat, leaving him for the dead. The soldier ripped off his cloak and yelled a battle cry, before running off into the town, followed by a few others, while some soldiers stayed behind.

One soldier fixed a hungry stare at Piper, but not for blood. One elderly man knocked over a chair in the corner, distracting the soldiers. All of them went to seize the man, leaving the front entrance open. Many tried to run, but none made it through. They were all forced to their knees. They would pay the price.

Piper snuck out the back entrance, forgetting about her father, in a fit of panic. The dark night was ablaze with flames as many homesurned to the ground. Piper's adrenaline pumped through her, as her brain went into an overdrive mode. She darted through the village, finding small places to hide until it was relatively safe to run the next spot. Soon she had made it to the hill, and shrouded by trees, she was safe.

Piper had nothing, but the clothing she was wearing, and a dull knife used to shed sheep of their wool. She wished she could return to her cottage, to grab blankets and foods, but she's be lucky if it wasn't already rubble by now. She noticed a group forming at the edge of the village, towards the path to Rome.

In the firelight she could see the group was made of adults and older children. They were taking prisoners, and Piper didn't know what for, but horrible ideas went through her head. Slaves. She had heard of how the Romans would force slaves to fight in a sick game of death. At the last of the group, there was a man ushering others in front of him, taking a whip to block other's with his body.

Piper's breath caught. They had her father.

Piper turned into the woods, and ran, taking a backside path to follow the Romans back to their city. She'd rescue her father, and the other villagers. She had to, she just had to.

* * *

Back at the village, a circle had formed.

The circle was wide, and made of about twenty soldiers, with the Captain, the leader, in the center with his sword drawn. An elderly man was pushed into the circle, there was no escape, but through ruthless armed soldiers. The Romans laughed and talked amongst themselves, like some sick demons.

The man was forced to his knees in front of the Captain. The Captain raised his weapon, as the other soldiers cheered, mocking a thumbs down motion. As gravity and brute evil force brought down the weapon, the cheering grew louder amongst the soldiers.

Then the next person, a young girl, holding a small doll made from leftover yarn and fabric, was pushed forward. She held tightly onto her doll until her hands went limp, then the next person was pushed forward. There was a long line of small children, and elderly people holding babies, praying to whatever god they believed existed, waiting for death.

It was like hell had decided to unleash it's worst.

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**So? What'd you guys think of chapter 1? It got a little dark there at the end, and I hope that was okay with you guys. **

**Read and Review!**

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**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	2. Whipped

**So guys, I'm back with chapter dos. I had four reviews on the last chapter, and I'm hoping to get at least that many on this one. I would like to thank everyone for their compliments on this story, it will be epic, much more epic than the beginning...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

**And I hate autocorrect, why are we stating the obvious?**

* * *

_Piper_

Piper had been following the stolen villagers for nearly three days.

On the first day, luck had been in her favor as she miraculously managed to kill a squirrel with her dull sheep's knife, after multiple stabs. She had been crying the whole time, Piper was vegetarian, but when you are starving and alone, meat starts to look just as delicious as vegetables.

That was the last time she ate; nearly two days ago. Looking back on it, it was foolish for her to have eaten the entire squirrel on the first day, but she had been so hungry. She was ashamed to admit that she hadn't even tried to share with her father or the other villagers.

They were off far worse than herself. They hadn't eaten yet, and may not get to eat the rest of the journey. Piper highly doubted that, since it was another week and half's trip to the Roman city. Piper wasn't even sure that's where they were going, but they had been attacked by Roman soldiers.

It didn't matter anyways, most of the villagers would most likely be dead by the time they reached their destination.

* * *

As Piper trailed the villagers, she could smell the scent of roasted squirrel.

It hadn't tasted very good, but she was more than willing to eat it again. She could see it propped up by three sticks—one shoved through the squirrel, and the other two holding the stick above the warm sticks. It had taken forever. Piper couldn't start a fire, the Romans might have noticed.

After a few hours, when it's fur had started to peel back, and the meat turned a nice golden shade, Piper had torn into it and finished it. She didn't think of future meals, and now she regretted it. After she had finished the squirrel, she had thought that perhaps she might run across another or maybe even a rat.

But luck had evaded her.

Her empty stomach of two days growled loudly, so loudly, she feared that the Romans might discovered her that way. The Romans paid no attention to the hungry stomachs of neither the villagers, nor Piper. Piper was about sixty yards behind the Romans, to avoid attention.

When she first started following the group, she had been afraid of a long distance between them, in fear of losing them. But there was no possible way she could do such a thing. The Romans stayed on a dirt path, and could be heard for miles with their metal armor clinking.

Piper stayed off the road, when they walked through forest, and now when they walked through grasslands. Piper had to crouch down to avoid being seen, and her clothes were often caught by the grasses. Her skin was itchy, and had to be scratched, and was now raw and irritated.

In the midday of their third day of travel, the Romans became a little rowdy. They joked amongst themselves, but were still alert enough to whip someone if they stepped out of place. And as they set up a small campsite to take a short break, hell decided to unleash another demon.

A young girl clung to her mother, she looked to be barely twelve years old. Despite her young age, she was pretty and nearly as tall as her mother. A soldier moved towards her with a hunger in his eyes, not for blood, but for something else. He tore her from her mother, and dragged her towards one the tents. The girl cried and kicked, but was no match for the stronger man.

The soldier's demonic smile and happy attitude never faltered until someone moved to block his path to the tent. Tristan McLean, Piper's father. He looked fatigued from lack of food and rest, but he stood his ground nonetheless. The soldier motioned for him to move, but he refused.

"Release her." Tristan's voice had a sort of power in it that Piper had never heard.

"And pray tell, _lowly slave_, why should I?"

"It is wrong."

"Do tell why," said the soldier. "She is a slave, perhaps even for my enjoyment."

"_She _is a _child." _Tristan put force into his words.

The soldier glowered at him, "Move now, or I'll have you whipped."

"Never."

"Very well."

The soldier simply looked at two of him comrades, and they grabbed Tristan by the arms, as if following some silent command. Tristan was pulled into the middle of the camp, where his arms and legs were tied, preparing for a whipping.

The soldier smirked at him, before pulling the young girl into the tent.

* * *

_Crack._

The whip made contact with Tristan's skin. Piper turned away, covering her ears and clamping her eyes shut. She'd kill them, she'd kill them all for what they were doing to him. Piper forced herself to turn back to the camp, she had to have a reason for such hatred. Her hatred grew with every motion, every word aimed at her father.

The captain was the man whipping him, it was quite obvious. Badges pinned to his chest showed his superior rank, but Piper would've been able to identify him without such things. He carried himself with dignity and pride, it made Piper fell very small. The captain gripped the whip with such force, his knuckles were white, as he taunted Tristan.

"So, you think you can just tell us what to do?" _Crack. _The Captain brought down the whip once more.

The skin on Tristan's back was already torn and bloody, Piper could barely tell there was actually skin there in the first place. With each hit, the villagers being forced to watch would cringe. Not because they felt bad for Tristan, but because they feared they were next.

"You think you can just do whatever you want, whenever you want?" _Crack. _

Piper's fists clenched. She wished she could just run into the camp and order the Captain to stop, to make him release everyone. But she couldn't. She was powerless, she had never felt so helpless and weak in her life. She was watching a man slowly kill her father, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

"You think you can stand up to us, Romans?"

There was a pause after that question, as if it had genuine important to the Captain. As if he were expecting Tristan to actually answer. There was silence throughout the camp. No one moved, no one spoke, everyone just stared. They waited for either an answer from Tristan or another strike from the Captain, and for just a moment a stalemate was in place, but it left as quickly as it had come.

_Crack. _

* * *

Later that same night, Piper tried to speak with her father.

He had been left in the middle of the camp, blood still trickling down his back, staining the grass. It was a quick move to him, fearing capture. She was on the very edge of the camp, crouched low, as she ran to him, still half-bent over. She fell to her knees next to him, and gently shook him awake.

"Dad." She whispered.

"What?" His voice was weak, lacking the power it had earlier. "Who said that?"

"Dad." Piper turned his head towards her, as softly as she could. "It's me, Piper."

"Piper?" He said her name as if a fond old memory was returning.

"Yeah, it's me." She wiped blood from his moonlit face with the hem of her dress.

"You—" His voice staggered, relishing in the relief of her. "You shouldn't be here."

"Listen to me," she ordered, cupping his face. "I'm going to get you, and the other villagers out of here."

"H—how?"

"I don't know yet, but I will."

A noise came from a larger tent, despite that it was dark and it's occupant was supposedly asleep. A candle was lit, and a man sat up. Piper recognized his profile, she had been staring at it earlier that day. It was the Captain. The Captain crawled out his tent, but a sudden breeze blew his candle out.

He squinted seeing a figure in the distance, "Who's out there?"

Tristan whispered to his daughter, "Piper, it's time for you to leave."

"But—"

His words were suddenly drunk with power once more, "Piper. Leave."

Piper nodded as she ran into the darkness, retreating to her own camp in the brush. The Captain fumbled for another match, and lit his candle. He slowly crept towards the spot where he had seen the figure.

"Who's out here?" He asked once more. "Show yourselves."

He feared that the Greeks may have come to free the people he had taken prisoner, but he had also heard stories of angry spirits of slaves who had perished the same way many of his captives would. He expected the worse, but instead came upon the man he had whipped earlier that day, still lying in his own blood.

He chuckled at the pity sight, "Oh, it's only you. I should whip you for waking me up, but you look like a moldable warrior, and I want to see a decent fight for once in the ring."

Piper's ears perked up as she heard those words, despite the distance she had put between herself and her father. She had a sudden curiosity growing her stomach, taking the place of nervous butterflies.

The ring?

* * *

**Sorry this one was a little short guys, I didn't have a lot of time to write today, but this is one of my filler chapters and I don't think you guys want it too long. I still hoped you guys enjoyed. **

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	3. The Catacombs

**Hey guys, I'm back with chapter 3! Thanks for all the support and all the compliments! I absolutely love it! This has been an awesome week! (Not to mention I am officially a year older, compliments of June 23rd!) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

**But, for once, I am cool with a disclaimer. I'm in too good a mood to care!**

* * *

**Piper**

Piper collapsed against the soft dirt, only a half mile from the city of Rome.

She was exhausted; the Romans had insisted on not allowed the villagers to rest because the city was in such close proximity. She wasn't the only one tired. The villagers walked with a stoop in their shoulders, but Piper was sure if that was from pain, lack of sleep, hunger, or discouragement.

It was hard to tell.

Piper had eaten a total of six times in the past three weeks, while the villagers had three. They rested twice a day, unless during the occasional meal. During meal days, they weren't allowed any rests.

As the captain had put it, _"you can rest while you chew."_

But there hadn't been much to chew, resulting in about a seven minute rest time. People weren't sure whether to rejoice when they were given food, or to cry. Villagers were dropping like flies. Some killed over from malnutrition, others from the sheer lack of the will to live.

It was mostly the younger ones, at first. The girl her father had tried to save from the soldiers had died the next day from causes Piper didn't even want to think about, making Tristan's efforts and his whipping meaningless.

The girl's mother went the following day.

Grief and hopelessness is not a good combination for an old heart. Piper was sure she'd drop from the same thing soon, but her father's life kept her calloused feet walking. If he could bear the sun's heat, and still offer half his meal to the other's, she could keep upright.

The sun was indeed hot; hotter than Piper had ever felt it's rays. Her once silky brown hair was now drenched in sweat and oils, sticking to the back of her neck. She had considered multiple times chopping it off with her sheep's knife, but she had prolonged it; her hair was part of her identity.

Piper sat alone every night, without a fire—the hot sun ruled the day, while the cold moon had the night—shivering. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. It would be a waste of water; water that she couldn't spare. Her mouth had long since gone dry, as her tongue ran along the roof of her mouth, trying to make her salivate, but she couldn't.

Her weight loss, thirst, and sadness was nothing compared to the other villagers. She had not once been abused. She had not once been dragged into a tent. She had not once been whipped. And every night she'd look up to the stars, and thank them for blessing her with such luck.

As the stolen villagers, and the Roman soldiers walked, with Piper trailing behind, out of sight, a villager stumbled as they came to a hill. She fell coughing, the soldier behind her roughly nudged her up, but she collapsed. Dead. She was at the back of the group, where the rest of the weak and ill were kept, in case of such an event. The Roman's pushed the villagers who had noticed her along, stepping over her body, not even stopping to pick up the corpse.

Piper knelt over the girl's body when she reached it. Piper did not recognize her face, but could tell from physical features that she had been around Piper's age. Her green eyes were glassy with death, staring into the sky, her body was still warm—overly warm, telling Piper it had been fever.

Piper said a silent prayer, wishing she had a coin for the girl to take into the afterlife. Piper was about to leave, when she stopped to close the girl's eyes. She crossed the girl's arms across her chest, dragging her off the road and into the daisies. There. Now she could be sleeping in a meadow.

Piper had done this for every dead villager, wishing their deaths had been much later with a different cause. After saying a quiet goodbye to the girl, Piper ran to catch up with the other villagers. She stopped when she reached the top of the hill. Piper swallowed at the sight.

Two grand arches stood next to each other, with a fair amount of space in between. Each was supported by four white stone beams, smooth to the touch. Atop each arch was an eagle, carved from marble. The detail was a portrait of beauty —or so Piper had thought before she got a closer glance. Pictures of eagles swooping down to kill enemies, as the Roman gods fought for the victory. It was gore, but entrancing at the same time.

They had reached the city gates.

They were in Rome.

* * *

Piper followed behind the group, thankful for the shady stone buildings to hide behind.

She took a breath, leaning against one. She spotted a well, only a hundred meters away, she could easily run to the well for a drink of water she had been deprived of, but she knew she couldn't. Her father was going in the other direction, she couldn't—no—_wouldn't _loose sight of him.

As they walked through the city of Rome, none of the local people seemed bothered by the fact that there were tortured people being herded through their streets. Piper eyed them all with disgust, but they didn't seem bothered by that either.

The group suddenly stopped, and the soldier's separated the villagers into two groups. It was obvious what consisting in making one group or the other. One half was women and the other was male. They were splitting up the villagers, but Piper didn't know why. Once the groups were separated, the men were led to the right, and the woman to the left.

That caught Piper off guard.

She looked both ways. She knew she had to make a split decision. Follow the woman, or follow the men. She licked her lips in anxiety; she had never been good at decisions, but this one came to her with ease. Her father was with the men, so she'd follow the men.

When Piper finally came to peace with her decision to abandon the woman of the group, the men had come upon a massive amphitheater. It was a circular shape, with two rows of large arches carved out of it. A shade was cast over the openings, making Piper curious as to what cause such a thing.

The soldiers led them to the amphitheater, towards the entranceway, with Piper in toll. She watched from behind a shrub, as the group made a sharp left turn away from the entrance. Piper was confused, but she still followed the villagers to the backside of the structure, where there was another entranceway, but this one led underground and was sealed off with a stone trap door.

The Captain suddenly held up his hand, stopping them from entering. Piper didn't dare to glance over her shrub, in fear of being spotted, but she listened putting the Captain's words into memory.

"This is where you'll die." The Captain spoke, sternly, as if he didn't care, but Piper did. "It's a better death than you disgusting Greeks deserve, but we, noble Romans, like to make it interesting. You will fight our top warriors—our gladiators—in this arena. You have little chance of life, and those of you who are weak and against fighting, toughen up. It's kill or be killed. Welcome to Colosseum."

Piper's eyes widened.

_**Kill** or **be killed**?_

* * *

**Tristan**

Tristan listened attentively to the Captain speaking.

He noticed many of the other men, especially the younger ones, wince when the Captain told them they would die. Tristan didn't react with surprise, he had expected as much. Tristan wasn't sure whether he would perish inside the Colosseum or not, but he knew for sure he would never kill a man.

Tristan knew Piper was nearby somewhere, she wouldn't have followed the woman knowing that he was still in this group. He didn't look for her, knowing she'd be fairly hidden, but he didn't want to attract attention to the possibility that there was an unknown escapee to the Romans.

After they were led away down into the cells, _catacombs, _as the Romans called it, Tristan glanced around taking in his last bit of light for what he assumed would be quite a while. He saw a rustling in the shrubs nearby, but the Romans didn't take notice. Piper stood, revealing herself, watching him go under. He smiled encouragingly at her, silently promising her everything would be all right.

But the truth was, he didn't know if it would be or not.

He admired his daughter for her bravery, only Piper would have the guts to willingly follow soldiers as they took villagers—some she barely knew—away, when she had elusively escaped such a fate. Tristan was only half-listening as the Captain explained more rules about how they'd work during the week and there would be no woman allowed, as he filled his hungry stomach with good memories of Piper.

But his ears reopened themselves as the Captain mentioned that if any woman was found in the Colosseum, they would be immediately executed. Tristan swallowed, Piper didn't know that—though he was sure she was smart enough to figure that out on her own. But remembering that, how was she going to rescue the villagers now?

Tristan was yanked from his thoughts as a soldier roughly pulled him deeper into the catacombs. The men were separated out, each taken down different hallways. Tristan was alone, aside from the two soldiers escorting him, no other man was brought down the hallway that Tristan was.

This caused a nervous twitch in Tristan's eyebrow. Was he going to be executed for causing trouble on the journey here? He pushed that thought aside, telling himself they were just taking him to a different cell. But as dirty water dripped from the ceiling, and rats scurried across the muddy floor, Tristan wondered if hell was any different.

When they reached his cell, Tristan thought, at first, that he would be alone, but he caught sight of two silhouettes. There was two men standing in the corner, as far from the cell bars as they could possibly get. Tristan was shoved in, as the iron bars were quickly closed behind him.

"Um, hello." Tristan greeted, as the two men came closer. "I'm Tristan McLean."

As the two men came closer into the light, Tristan could see that they were both young, perhaps a year older than Piper. They were both covered in dirt and soot, and scraps and bruises lined their skin. One was a head taller than the other, with pitch black hair and hazel eyes, but he appeared more afraid than the other.

The shorter one had red hair, that was rarely seen by Tristan, with blue eyes; it was those eyes that were the only piece of him that revealed fear. They were both muscled, yet had a hungry look in their eye that showed their starvation. Hard work was shown on their hands, and sunburn was present on their cheeks and necks. They both looked at Tristan unsurely, when the taller of the two spoke.

"Calum Halkias." He said.

"Alexander Chatzi." The shorter one offered his name, as well.

Tristan nods to them both, before settling down into a nap, tired from his long journey. But before he fell into sleep, he heard the two boys talking about him.

"How long do you think he'll last?" Calum whispered to Alexander.

Tristan could feel Alexander's eyes on him, analyzing. It was obvious to Tristan that Alexander was the smarter of the two, otherwise Calum wouldn't have asked him of his opinion. Alexander pursed his lips, running his tongue across his teeth. He chuckled.

"Five minutes—maximum."

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**So I hope you guys liked it, and I've had multiple questions about where Jason is. And all I can say is he'll be here, just not yet. It'll be good though. **

**So read and review, tell me if you like it! **

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**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	4. The Old Trainer

**Hey guys, I am loving this story! It is one of my best ideas! So here's chapter 4, hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series...**

**I only own this wickedly awesome story line!**

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**Piper**

Piper had to get in.

She knew she had to, she had to rescue her father and the other men. She didn't know where the village woman were, but she was sure she'd find out if she tried to get into the Colosseum, a place where only men are allowed. But Piper was smart, she had a plan, just needed a target.

And she found him as soon as she saw him.

Piper was walking through town with her head down, and covered by a cloak she had received through her charm. She spotted an old man who was supporting himself on a crutch, who appeared to be about her size. Piper frowned, sadly, at him, she didn't want to rob him, but she had no choice when she overheard the conversation he had with a shopkeeper.

"Hello, sir, how are you today?" The shopkeeper asked, in a good mood.

"Fine, Christos, just fine." The man smiled.

"I'm glad to here that, sir. Have you given in yet and agreed to train the advisor's son?"

"No." The man laughed. "How dare you even think such a thing was possible?" He feigned offense.

The shopkeeper laughed with him, "Well, you always were the best. Here you are." The shopkeeper handed him his groceries, and waved goodbye.

A trainer. He'd have weapons for sure. There was no possible way he'd train Piper, because she was a girl, but clothes and weapons were good enough. Piper silently trailed behind him, blending into the crowd to avoid attention. The man didn't appear to know he was being followed, which after a few weeks of hiding from Roman soldiers, Piper was proud she had mastered such a skill.

Soon the crowd of people became thin as they left the market place, Piper resorted to hiding behind the occasional tree or shrub to avoid being caught. She walked on the balls of her feet, avoiding the heavy stepping of her heels. She was silent, and he never once turned around.

They came upon an old cottage, and it brought tears to Piper's eyes. It reminded her of her old house, before the Romans had most likely burned it down along with the rest of the village. It was so hard to believe that it had only been a few weeks, the memory felt so far away.

The old trainer entered the front door, but Piper caught sight of a small old training ground at the back of the property. There would surely be weapons there, then Piper could—well—she'd have to threaten him for food and clothing. It was something she would not want to do, or be proud of doing, but it was essential to rescuing her father.

And she would not risk letting her father slip through her fingers.

She walked onto the training ground, her cloak still hiding her true identity. The grounds were overgrown with weeds, it was obvious no one had trained there for a while or had cared to keep it in good shape. There was a shed in the far corner of the small lot. It was old and it's wood was rotted, it's appearance looked moments from collapsing.

Piper went to it, and heaved the door open, hoping it wouldn't fall in before she learned what was inside. Old battle armor, still in excellent condition. Weapons hung on the wall in rows; Piper marveled at the old trainer's collection of spears, javelins, swords, knives, and daggers. She couldn't decide which to take, but one stood out to her.

It was the only weapon not hanging on the wall, but tossed lazily on a work table. It was caught somewhere between sword and knife in length; Piper was unsure what to call it, until she settled on dagger. It's hilt was golden and shined, it's blade showed her reflection.

For the first time, Piper realized what a mess she was. Her hair lacked it's usual shine, and it was matted to her forehead in a tangled mess. Her face was covered in dirt, and her eyes were bloodshot from lack of rest. She had lost weight and her cheeks were sunken from hunger.

Piper wanted to drop the dagger, and cry. Not because her appearance was awful, but because it was a reflection of everything she had gone through. She was her reminder that her life had become a playground for Hades. Yet Piper's grip only tightened on the hilt, this was it. This was her weapon.

"Are you going to attack me now?"

Piper turned in shock, not loosening her grip on her dagger. The old trainer stood in the doorway, his hand placed on it. He didn't look angry, nor afraid of Piper, he regarded her as though she were a lost soul that had come for his help in finding her way back.

Piper purposely deepened her voice, "Just give me some food and clothing, and I promise I won't hurt you."

To her surprise, the elderly man merely laughed, not in a humorous way though. His laugh was saddened and suited to a way Piper had never heard anyone laugh before.

"What's so funny?" Piper demanded in her deep voice.

"I apologize." The trainer stopped his laughter. "I was once a teacher of heroes, and there are so many things I see wrong with you."

"What do you mean?"

"If I may..."

Piper nodded.

"Your stance." The old man came closer to her.

Piper jumped back, "Don't touch me!"

The man only smiled at her again, "If it so suits you." Then he went onto critiquing her. "Anyone could easily break you. Your posture is weak, as if you are afraid someone is going to hit you at any moment. You must deepen your stance, and push from the root."

He demonstrated. Piper was surprised he didn't break himself in his old years, rather his stance was strong, and he disarmed her of her dagger in moments.

"See?" He asked, before eyeing the knife. "Ah, Katropis. You've chosen well, young one, this dagger was a wedding gift to Helen of Troy from her husband, Menelaus. She named it "Looking Glass" or "Katropis" as that was all she used it for. It was given to me by a friend many years ago, to show his thanks."

He held it out for her to take, much to Piper's surprise. She eyed him suspiciously before taking the hilt from him into her own hand. It was a perfect balance for Piper, and had a good solid feel in her hand. She smiled at the feeling, she never had anything that had suited her so well.

"You may have it."

Piper nodded her thanks.

"Now." The old trainer continued. "Are you going to steal from me now?"

"What?"

"You followed me, all the way from the market place, to steal from me, but I understand."

"You do?" Piper asked, knowing that there was no possible way that he could know.

"Yes, child, I have been on this Earth for a very long time." He smiled. "You are lost and confused, unsure of who you are or what you are meant to do."

He was wrong. Dead wrong. She knew exactly what she was going to do, and it was because of her identity that she was going to do it.

"I am neither." Piper answered. "Lost," She reconsidered. "Maybe, but that is not my fault."

"And pray, dear child, who's fault is it?"

"A monster."

And that was true. The Romans were her monster, the one evil that haunted her. They were the nightmare that kept her awake at night, in fear that she might fall asleep and dream of them. They had taken everything, and they were all under one monster...

"Who is this monster?"

"I cannot tell you." Piper knew that by telling him, he would learn she was Greek, and Romans hated Greeks.

"Then you are unsure of yourself, and what you are meant to do?"

"I know exactly who I am, and what I'm going to do."

There was a look in his eye that Piper couldn't quite place. He was the most mysterious man, yet the most open, she had ever met—a combination that was not easy to achieve. There was a certain sense about him that pulled every ounce of respect she had from her towards him. While she respected him, wise men are the most dangerous, and that made her nervous.

"Well then, _girl_, take off the damn hood, and show me who you are."

Piper looked at him in shock, he looked unfazed.

"No cloak can hide that, my dear." The old trainer chuckled.

Piper slowly lowered her hood, showing her dirty hair and unwashed face. She suddenly felt ashamed. She had given away her identity to man she didn't even know, a _Roman_ man who could turn her into his emperor. Not only did she feel regret, she felt fear; she had come so far to save her father, now she was going to meet a similar fate.

"Listen, please—I'm begging you—_please_ don't tell anyone about me." Piper was close to dropping to her knees. "I have something I need to do, and no one can know I'm a girl."

He smiled at her. "I do not care if you are a girl, or if you are not. Man or woman, we are equal. You are troubles, and I help all those who are trouble. Please, tell me your story."

And so she did. She spoke of how Romans had invaded her villages, he didn't attempt to kill her when she mentioned she was Greek, which was a relief to Piper. She told of how she had followed the Roman soldiers and stolen villagers for weeks. Piper almost cried when she told him how her father had been whipped.

She told of the villagers who died along the way, and how she'd killed a squirrel to eat. She told him of the time she spoke with her father late at night, after his whipping. Piper admitted to him her guilt of choosing to follow the men, and her father, instead of the women, and how she'd watched her father walk down beneath the Colosseum.

"And as I watched him go under, he gave me this smile. It was sort of his way of telling me everything would be okay." Piper finished. "And everything will be okay, because I'm going to get into the Colosseum and free him and the other men. Then we'll all find the woman, and we'll go home and rebuild whatever is left of our village!"

At first, he did nothing, but nod, then he looked to her, "You must be mad, girl, you will never make it into the Colosseum. You will be taken _elsewhere."_ He put emphasis on elsewhere.

"I know the risk, but I have to."

"Even if you do make it in, you will die in your first fight."

"Fight?" Piper questioned.

"Yes, do you not know what happens in there?"

"Well, not exactly."

"You are placed against an opponent who is trained and stronger than you. You fight to the death, and the gladiators always win."

"Gladiators?"

"Those are the opponents—top elite warriors with no mercy."

Piper swallowed, "It doesn't matter, I'm going to rescue my father and the other village men."

"You are no use dead."

"Then what do you propose I do?!"

Piper was angry now. He had just told her, her plan was flawed and would most likely result in her death and eventually the deaths of the village men, including her father.

"Train."

"With who?!"

"Me."

"You?"

"Me." The old man repeated. "I am a teacher of heroes, am I not? Though a bit out of date, I'll admit, I've trained many men to win in battle. I've never trained a girl, but I can adjust."

Piper suddenly threw her arms around him in thanks, before realizing it probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to do. She tried to pull back, but he had returned to hug, so she decided not to. Piper was close to tears again, for the umpteenth time that day.

He smelled like nutmeg. Her father used to smell like nutmeg. And he was warm, just like her father was when he used to hug her, telling her that everything was fine. It was comforting, but it brought back the memory of her father who had a possibility of dying any day now. Piper released the hug, and the man started towards the door, motioning her after him.

"Piper." She said.

"What?"

"Piper." She repeated. "That's my name, in case you needed to know."

"Oh." The man was silent for a moment. "Chiron."

"What?" Piper asked.

"Chiron." He repeated. "'That's _my_ name, in case you needed to know.'"

She smiled. "Chiron." She repeated under her breath, knowing that she had heard the name before...

They walked into his cottage, warm like Piper's was when she lit a fire in the winter. The inside was very different from Piper's though. Her house had been very simple and homey, but his was decorated extravagantly. There were spoils of war hanging on the walls, each with a label of who won it and what for.

His furniture was international, probably gifts from all the heroes he had trained to become victors. Piper was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when a tunic was tossed at her. Piper caught it before it hit her, but she looked at him in a confused manor.

Chiron grinned. "You can't expect to train in a dress, now can you?"

"No." Piper returned his grin. "No, I guess not."

Piper went into the other room to change, but before she made it there, he tossed her something else: a piece of cloth. She looked at him confused for moment, then understood: the tunic was made for men, not for girls. As she went into the room, she undressed, and wrapped the cloth around her chest, flattening herself. She then pulled on the tunic.

The tunic was a simple grey, with a few tears, here and there, showing that it had been worn before. It was a little loose, but it was more mobile than her dress. It was comfortable and freeing, it was a feeling she had never known before in confining dresses; she couldn't get over it.

She came back out into the main room, and yelped as Chiron threw her dagger at her. She barely caught it with her right hand before it sliced her face. Chiron was out the door before she could complain to him. She followed him out into the training ground, unkempt as it was, it was still suitable for use.

He led her out into a training ring, pulling a sword of his own. Woah. Wait. That was unfair. She barely had a foot of weapon, and he had four feet. Her instinct told her not to say anything, but to go with it. Then the instruction started.

"I've always believed that learning by example was most effective." He started.

What?

He pointed his sword at her, and charged, speaking as he did so.

"You've the disadvantage with a shorter weapon, what should you do?"

"Um—" Piper didn't finish, before she dove out of the way in a roll.

"Excellent maneuver!" He complimented her, despite Piper's cluelessness to what she actually did. "You may have the blood of a warrior in you, but you must be offensive as well."

Then they began circling each other, neither moving from the outer corners, and then Chiron spoke to her again.

"I may have the advantage in weaponry, but you have an advantage as well." Chiron said. "What is it?" Then he charged her again.

Piper's mind went into overload, as it seemed that everything slowed down. _Think, Piper, think. _What advantage do you have? Suddenly his earlier words rang over in her head.

_"I have been on this Earth for a very long time."_

Age! She was younger than he was. She was more limber than his old joints, she had proven that with her daring roll counter to his earlier strike. Piper caught his strike on her own blade, and pushed it away, before quickly moving away from him into the opposite corner.

"Excellent!" He called to her. "Now. You must use everything to your advantage!"

Everything? What did he mean by that? Piper didn't have to think, when he came running at her again, his sword aimed at her. Everything. Everything. She had to use everything. Piper pulled a twig from her hair in annoyance, then she eye the twig, then she eyed the dirt. She had to use everything to her advantage.

As Chiron came closer, Piper once more rolled away, but this time, she dug Katropis into the dirt. As her weight freed the blade, the dry dirt of the ground puffed up at Chiron, loosened by the dagger. Dirt particles swarmed around Chiron as he coughed, trying to open his eyes, but they were too irritated.

"Very clever!" He said to her, his eyes still closed.

Piper thought she had the advantage now.

"You must also listen for your opponent, Piper." Chiron advised, as his ears perked up.

Piper tensed, she had to be careful where she walked. He was now listening for any sign of where she was. Wrapped up in her thoughts, Piper heard a crunch from under her right foot. She had stepped on a patch of dry grass, that would surely give her location. And it did.

Chiron turned and charged. Piper didn't have time to think, but to roll, but he was expecting such a thing. After watching her do it many times, he knew it by memory. He grazed her cheek, and Piper's eyes became wet with tears as she stood again. She could feel warm blood trickle down her face.

"Just because you are a woman, does not mean I will go easy on you!" Chiron called, his eyes still closed. "You must your opponents weakness and use it against him. Is he too big? Is he too small? Is he inexperienced?"

"Is he too old?" Piper joked, before clamping her hand over her mouth. She had just revealed herself.

"Well," Chiron chuckled turning to her. "We know your weakness, big mouth."

Piper raised her dagger, she would fight this time. She wouldn't roll away in fear. Their blades met it sparks of kinetic energy, as both pushed against the other. Piper's feet were slowly moving backwards as Chiron's strength pushed her. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

Piper smiled, though she knew Chiron couldn't see it, as she quickly stepped out of the way. Chiron wasn't expecting such a thing, and he fell, having nothing to balance his force anymore. He was flat on his back, as Piper had him at sword point. She smirked in victory, but he kicked her legs out from under her.

Piper landed with a thud, but her youth prevailed as she quickly got to her feet and moved away from Chiron. His eyes were still closed in irritation to her earlier dirt attack. Piper was smart this time, not moving from her position. Chiron stood, waiting for her to make some form of sound. Piper noticed a small pebble near her left, and she seized it.

_"Use everything to your advantage."_

She was slowly learning the game.

She tossed the pebble over towards the right, as far away from herself as possible. And Chiron turned towards it, walking in that direction, as Piper slowly crept up behind him. She felt Chiron smile, like he had just won. He raised his sword to finish an invisible person, but at the last moment changed his direction and took a swipe at Piper.

Piper performed a fluid back hand-spring away from Chiron, she looked at herself in shock after she landed. She didn't know she could do that, her gymnastic talent started and ended in the same place. She guessed that when your life is at stake, your body adapts in ways you didn't think possible.

Piper looked at her dagger, then to herself, and something just clicked. She realized that fighting wasn't about who was the strongest, it was about who was the smartest. She didn't have to have a flawless technique, she just needed to have master the "one-step-ahead-of-everyone-else" skill.

Her mind suddenly went into overload, as she, for the first time, charged Chiron. He intercepted her, and they fought for real. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, as her brain sent signals to every part of her body, instructing her to do things she never thought she could.

_Parry. Strike. Roll. Punch. Jump. Strike. Parry. Punch. _

Piper caught Chiron's blade as he tried to slice her other cheek, with her own. She twisted it out of his hand, and it flew a few feet away from them. Piper looked at Chiron with excitement, and he looked at her with a mix of shock and of pride.

"You're ready," he told her. "I don't know how, but you're ready."

Piper smiled.

"Come on," he said, "let's get that wound dressed."

Piper's smiled soon faded, as she swallowed another bit of whisky as Chiron stitched up her cheek. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming; if she moved Chiron might stick the needle in the wrong place, and that would not be good. As soon as they were done, they had a small quiet dinner, and then they talked at the kitchen table.

"You are the most talented student I have ever trained." Chiron spoke.

"Thanks."

"No other student has taken up so quickly." Chiron said. "You lack clean technique, and that's understandable, but there's something clever about you that puts you on a different level."

"Thanks, Chiron." Piper said, though she wasn't sure if he had snuck an insult in there or not.

"We just need to work on your technique, and tell you'll be ready to—" Chiron suddenly looked out the window and scowled.

"What?" Piper went to the window.

"Don't waste your time, Piper, it's just the soldiers bringing in another group."

"What does that mean?"

"The Roman soldiers come by every week or so, bringing a group of to take to the Colosseum—" Chiron suddenly stopped his speech.

"To take where?" Piper asked.

"To the Colosseum."

Piper's breath caught, it wasn't just her village—men were being taken from everything. Anger rose into her chest, and Piper felt as though she wanted to go out there and kill every last soldier. Then something occurred to her.

"Chiron?"

"Hmm?"

"You said they come every week or so, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, Piper," he started, gently. "Many of the men that are taken the week before are killed in the fights that week."

"What?!"

"Piper, not all of them, some make it until they aren't strong anymore, so it's an easy kill for the gladiators." Chiron tried to comfort her.

"When are the fights?"

"Well, the next one is two days from now."

Piper's heart nearly stopped, her father could be dead in two days' time. It made her feel sick, and not only that but all the other village men could be dead by then. Piper swallowed a bit of nervous saliva down her throat, and turned back to Chiron.

"I have to go tomorrow. I have to get in tomorrow." She said.

"Piper, you aren't ready—"

"I'm going to have to be!" Piper argued. "I can't just let my father and all the other village men die."

"Piper, what if you can't?" Chiron asked quietly.

"What?"

"What if you can't?" Chiron said, louder.

"What do you mean?"

"What if you fail to get your father out?" Chiron asked. "You'll have to stay, because there is no escape, what if you're chosen for the fights?"

"Then I'll fight! You said it yourself, Chiron, I'm the best student you ever had!"

"Yes, you are!" Chiron returned her volume. "But you still aren't ready! You have the wit to win, but you lack the strength or the skill to!"

"Then, I guess wit will have to be enough."

"You don't understand, Piper." Chiron was exasperated now. "You have twice the risk as any other person in there. If you're caught, then they'll immediately kill you! And what if you have to fight? It's not like fighting me! Your opponent will be strong, young, and merciless!

"The whole point is to kill for entertainment, and that's exactly what the gladiators do! Even if you win, you'll have to kill a gladiator, and that rarely happens!"

"Chiron, I don't kill." Piper said. "If I have to fight, I know what I have to do to win. I did things today that I didn't even know I could. And if it comes to the point of killing, then I guess I'll decide then..."

Piper hadn't though about killing anyone, but if she couldn't get anyone out, she might have to.

"What if?" Piper asked. "Let's say, I did have to fight, and I won. What would happen then?"

"Well," Chiron said, "Then you would become a gladiator."

Piper swallowed. She didn't want to win, she wouldn't kill, she wouldn't fight against her own people.

"I need some fresh air." Piper excused herself outside, and Chiron watched her go.

Piper sat outside for a few hours. She breathed in the fresh air, the fresh _free _air. She wouldn't be free for very long. She looked up to the moon, to Artemis. She prayed to the goddess, asking for protection. Artemis was an amazing warrior, and Piper felt a connection to her, like she would watch over Piper as she fought.

Piper pulled out her dagger, Katropis, and looked into it. She was clean now, after bathing in Chiron's home, she looked almost normal, had it not been for the worrisome look in her eye and the stressful, sleepless bags under her eyes. Suddenly, she whipped Katropis behind her neck and cut off her long brown hair.

She felt her head lighten from the weight of thick hair, but couldn't bring herself to look at her freshly cut hair. If she was going to a place where only boys were allowed, she had to looked like one. Reaching down into the mud, she smeared some on her body and her face, careful of her fresh scar.

She looked back up to Artemis, and smiled. Piper would win this battle, and she would save her father, there was no doubt in her mind. She heard the tread of sandals coming up behind her against the dirt. She knew it was Chiron, he had come to console her on her decision.

But instead he asked her, "What do you plan to do?"

She laughed, smiling at him, still not turning around to face him.

"My friend, you underestimate me. You see, I already have a plan."

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**Huh? Huh? What'd'ya think? Huh? Huh? I bet this makes up for the last two chapters being so short! So, I brought Chiron into play, and he's still Greek, I just didn't mention that, but it'll come in later... So muahahahaha, I have started another plot idea that I have no idea what to do with! Just kidding, I got it all planned out... actually I don't... or perhaps I do! **

**But it doesn't matter! Because you guys are on a cliffhanger!**

**Read and Review!**

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**Never ever stop being such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	5. Death Is In The Air

**Hey guys, sorry for not updating, I was on vacation with no wifi, so I will hopefully be updating all my stories today (note the "hopefully") So if you're a fan of my other stories, they will be updated! And if you're not, you should still go check them out!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series...**

**And as I sit here eating Macaroni and Cheese, I'm still not accepting that...**

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**Piper**

It was about midday when Piper decided to break the law.

She had officially come to terms with it about an hour later, but no entirely. Throughout her entire life, her father had raised her to be a gentle spirit and to be kind to others... and look where that got them. Its not as though she was happy about it, but she had to do it.

Secretly, Piper had jitters. That rush of adrenaline that flowed through your body when you were about to attempt something risky possessed Piper. It was true that if someone looked closely enough, they could tell that Piper was not a boy.

It was actually fairly easy to see, and that made Piper nervously. She had painted the more feminine places of her face, her high cheekbones, for example, with mud as though she was a poor shepherd boy who never bathed.

Her legs were still thin, which was common in poor boys who couldn't eat as often as they'd like. Her chest was wrapped in cloth to flatten her, making her look like a starving peasant. As she was always tall for her age, even surpassing some of the village boys, she still appeared as though she was fifteen years old.

Fifteen years old.

Fifteen.

She was fifteen years old. She had forgotten about her birthday through all the chaos that had occurred within the previous weeks. Piper was surprised at herself, she used to look forwards to her birthday, a day that would be dedicated to her and her father just spending time together. She suddenly hated her birthday.

_Happy Birthday. Your father's is going to be killed. Your village is burned. _

Piper felt anger blacken her heart as thoughts of the Romans destroying her life filled her mind, and she let it. Despite the constant nagging in the back of her head telling her it was wrong to be angry and full of hatred, but if she was going to rescue her father and the other men, then she was going to have to be stone—cold and merciless.

She had already left Chiron's early that morning, bidding him a thankful goodbye. She thought she had seen small sad tears in his eyes, but he had only known her for a day, he couldn't be mournful of her; but, then again, perhaps he could. He had expressed his concern for her, that she wasn't fully trained and ready to fight real gladiators, but she didn't have a choice, the fights were tomorrow and she wanted her father to live until the next day.

Piper wore her cloak, and the tunic Chiron had gave her. She'd torn both in small places and rubbed mud into the cloth to make the effect even more endearing. Her dagger was concealed beneath her tunic; she would not use it, she would not risk it being taken from her.

As she walked through the city streets of Rome, nobody paid her any attention, but why should they? They had no reason too. Piper looked through the streets, there was just one fault in her plan. She hadn't decided what to do to get herself arrested, and there was reason for that: she wasn't educated on what punishment would be.

She assumed every criminal went to the Colosseum, murderer or minor thief, as that was probably the worst sentence the Romans had. It was a frightening though that she might be condemned straight to death or to work her life away in a field, but she'd have to go with her instinct that she'd go to the Colosseum. It was a risk she'd have to take for her father.

She picked a random shop.

She was going to rob it.

It seemed like the lesser of crimes. As to how she was going to do it, she wasn't quite sure, but she had a fair idea of what to do. Find the money. Take it. Simple as that. There were definitely faults in her plan. Where was the money? How would she take it? What if she didn't get caught? Well, then she'd had money to spend, money she didn't really want.

She'd get caught; she'd make sure of it.

The shop she chose was a simple tailor's, in the center of the town square, so it was sure to be often frequented. Get in. Get out. That was the plan, and get caught along the way was somewhere in there. She walked into the shop, but stayed close to the door, that was something she had just thought of.

If someone made a purchase, then the owner would have to put the money where he kept the rest of it. An old man was assisting a woman in hemming a new robe. Piper bit her tongue. An old man. She was about to rob and old man. That feel nice on her already guilty conscience.

_No, she was about to get caught robbing an old man,_ she reasoned.

It would be okay then, she wasn't actually going to take the money. Piper pulled herself from her thoughts as the woman handed the old man a few coins in payment for her robe. Piper watched as the old man walked into the back room and came back without his earnings. Piper smiled.

"Can I help you, sir?" The man asked in a shaky elderly voice.

Piper purposely deepened her voice, "Just looking for now, thank you."

"All right, come talk to me if I can assist you in any way."

"Thank you."

Piper fiddled aimlessly through robes in a corner, watching as the man walked away to help another customer. Piper slowly made her way through the clothing towards the back room, hoping the man would see her going there. If he didn't see her, she was sure he'd hear the sound of her beating heart growing louder. This was it. Piper was at the entrance to the back door.

"Oh sir, customers are not allowed back there."

Piper didn't move from her position.

"Sir." The old man repeated. "Customers aren't allowed back there."

Piper moved closer towards the back room, officially entering it.

"Sir?" She could feel the man growing in impatience. "Sir?!"

This was it.

This was it.

This was it.

Piper had locked her eyes on a leather pouch, sitting on a stack of books, she was sure was filled with the coins. She suddenly jerked into motion and snatch the pouch and made a beeline for the exit, knocking over as many robes as she could as she went.

"Hey!" The old man hobbled towards the exit, the man he was helping following after him. "Hey!"

Piper could feel the street suddenly go still as everyone stared at her, and she stopped for a moment. Time seemed to slow down around her, as she looked at the old man, frantically yelling at her. The rush of energy coursed through her veins as she stared down the old man as if threatening him to catch her.

"Hey!" The other man shouted to a passing Roman guard. "Thief!" He pointed at Piper. "That boy stole this man's money!"

Suddenly Piper grew fearful, and took off into a fast sprint. She could hear the shouts and threats of the Roman guard behind her. Within seconds the yelling multiplied in voices, she now had multiple Romans after her. She was tempted to draw her dagger and fight them all off, but she remembered she was supposed to get caught. She slowed her pace when she came to a back alleyway, she could see it was a dead end. Perfect.

"Hey, you!" There were at least six of them.

Piper took off down the alley, and stopped at the end, to see the Romans with a smug look on their faces when they learned they had cornered her. Piper pressed herself into the wall, pretending as though she were afraid of them, but she wasn't, she wasn't afraid of anything anymore.

She blatantly held the pouch of _denarii, _Roman coins, out in the open, her hand only half around it in grip. Piper looked down as if to look like she were just an ashamed and frightened peasant boy who wanted money. The Romans closed in on her with their swords drawn, and their shields up as if she could actually fight back. Piper fell to her knees, and dropped the money at their feet, and began to pathetically plead with them.

"Please," she begged, "I only did it for my family, we need money and we are hungry. Please have mercy."

A few of the guards chuckled, as if they found the situation absolutely hilarious.

The leader of the pack spoke, "Boy, you won't need money where you're going, only the mercy of the gods."

Then they seized her. They tied her arms back with ropes, and hoisted her into the air to where she couldn't run away. They brought the stolen money back to the shop owner, but took half for their service, to which the old man was to scared of them to argue about.

The guards carried her through the town square, a walk of shame. As they carried her, Piper spotted Chiron in the crowd, doing a bit of shopping, himself. He half-smiled, sending a wink to her, as a salute. Piper returned it, and glanced down to her left hip, telling him she still had her dagger.

Piper smiled to herself; for not having a plan at all, she'd say it was going pretty well.

* * *

That evening, after spending a decent amount of time in a holding cell, Piper was brought before the council.

It surprised her. She was actually standing before the council of Rome, especially for her petty crime. Maybe every case was brought to the council, perhaps it was the only place where law could be addressed. Piper didn't know, things were different back home. The council had taken their seats for a private trial.

There were twelve of them, each obviously different than the man sitting next to him. Each wore long bed sheets, Piper believed Chiron called them _togas._ Nevertheless is was a strange fashion among the Romans. Some wore battle armor, while others carried books. Piper understood the diversity, wisdom and strength could think as one.

"Is he carrying any weapons?" A blonde-haired man in Roman armor sitting to the right of the center chair, which was empty, questioned the guards.

"No sir." The guard next to her answered, it took all of Piper's willpower to keep a straight face.

"All right, now we—"

"Did you check?" A black-haired man to the left of the empty chair interjected.

"Perseus—" The blonde-haired man looked offended.

"Did you check?" The black-haired man asked once more.

"N—no sir." It was obvious the guard feared this 'Perseus.' "He didn't use a weapon in the theft, so it was safe to assume that he didn't have one."

"Assume?" Perseus questioned. "Was it safe to assume that Julius Caesar's council would not harm him?"

"Well, no sir—"

"Exactly." Perseus' eyes darted about the room as if he were picking up on multiple things. "Check him."

"Percy." The blonde-haired man whispered to him, though everyone could hear hit. "It is safe to assume—"

At that very moment, the guard pulled out Piper's dagger from her tunic, causing Piper to swear under her breath. Perseus looked triumphantly at the blonde-haired man, as though he had earned a point in some competitive game of life only they knew about.

"You were saying, Luke?" Perseus questioned.

Luke breathed heavily, not answering Perseus. For the first time, Piper got a good look at the two of them. Luke was a handsome man, with crystal blue eyes, but had scar that ran through his left eye and down his cheekbone subtracting from his face.

Perseus was just as handsome. His black hair was tousled as if he thought so often, he ran his hand through it every second. His eyes were strikingly sea green, and his skin was tanned with the kiss of the sun while Luke was more pale. Perseus had a humorous side to him, Piper could tell by the laugh lines tracing his face. Luke had the same lines, but they were faded as if he hadn't laughed it a long time.

Perseus pulled Piper from her thoughts, "Now presenting, his majesty, Emperor Jupiter, with his son, Prince Jason." He shouted into the empty room.

Both entered from a side door, as the Romans clapped for them, while Piper remained still. As the emperor reached his seat—the empty one in the center—his son standing by his side, everyone bowed to them. The council members merely bowed their heads, while the guards fell to their knees. Piper didn't move until one of the guards yanked her down.

"Rise." The emperor spoke in a commanding voice.

Piper looked to the two royals, they were mirror images of each other. The emperor had a long gray beard to match his long hair. His toga was long and regally gold and he wore it with pride and honor. The prince's blonde hair was cut short in a croped fashion, and he wore a toga similar to his father's, but it was purple.

Jupiter took a good look at the boy in front of him. His face and clothing was covered in dried mud, as was his brown hair. Jupiter scrunched his nose in disgust at the fine layer of dirt covering the boy. He wore a soldier's training tunic, and a cloak draped off his shoulders.

Jupiter whispered to his son, "The boy's a bit feminine, isn't he?"

Jason nodded to his father.

Jupiter looked back to the boy, listening as Perseus told the boy's case and his thievery. Jupiter didn't care what the crime was, he must pay. The emperor had a hold over all his citizens and all those that disturbed that had to be taken care of. Jupiter held his hand to stop Perseus from speaking.

"I have made my decision." The boy looked up to Jupiter. "I, Emperor Jupiter, hereby decrees that this boy shall be condemned to death by the Colosseum." Jupiter glowered his eyes to the boy, as a deadly tone took his voice, "May the gods have mercy on your soul."

Piper looked at the Emperor as he spoke those words to her. His mouth gave her mercy, but his eyes craved her death. She stared at him, as the guards grabbed her arms and carried her out, as they were about to leave, Piper gave a smile slightly over her shoulder, and Prince Jason caught it, but he assured himself that he was simply imagining it.

No one smiled on their way to the Colosseum.

* * *

When the guards threw her into the cell, Piper felt like laughing.

She had made it inside, losing her dagger in the process, but she was sure she could find it again. She stood and turned into the cell, and nearly jumped when she realized it was already occupied. There were two boys, her age, one slightly older, sitting towards the back of the cell. One sat on the edge of a sleeping mat, and the other leaned against a wall.

"Hi." Piper tried to greet them.

"Hey." The boy said from the mat.

"Hi." The boy from the wall muttered.

The boy from the mat stood and walked towards her. He was thin, obviously from lack of nutrition. He looked as though he had a bit of Latin blood in him, with his tanner skin, curly black hair, and elfish features. He held out his hand for her to shake, and she did.

"Leo Valdez."

The other boy came from the wall and walked towards them. His skin was brown, and his body was muscled which confused Piper. Could he be underfed and still be muscular? She could tell by the expression on his face that he was depressed, and scared for something, but Piper could tell it was not for himself.

"Beckondorf." He didn't offer his first name

"Were your villages attacked?" Piper asked, wishing her hair was longer so she could fiddle with it.

Beckondorf nodded, "Yeah, my girlfriend was taken too, and she was sent away, and I don't know where she is."

Piper swallowed, she knew where his girlfriend was, and it was likely she would die as well, differently from him, but still dead. Leo shook his head, crossing his arms in a defensive position.

"I'm an orphan."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Piper asked.

"When they need room at orphanages for younger kids, they have to send the older ones away, and this place is a particular favorite."

Piper didn't exactly know how to respond to that.

"Now, tell us about you."

"I stole a pouch of denarii." Piper answered.

"Did you get away with it?" Leo asked.

"If I got away with it, would I be here?"

Leo looked away, "No, I guess not, so what's your name?"

Piper thought for a moment, "Pericles. Pericles McLean."

Leo nodded, as did Beckdondorf. They both went back to their corners, Leo to his sleeping mat and Beckondorf to his corner. Both were silent, now that Piper had been introduced to them, and was no longer big news. She thought about her name that she had given herself. Pericles. An ancient hero her father used to tell her about when she was young. She liked the name, she loved the meaning.

Perciles. A man with honor.

* * *

Only half an hour later, the Romans came back for them.

Beckondorf and Leo hauled themselves from their places and walked to the soldiers, obediently. Piper did as well, very confused about the whole thing, and her confusion grew as she saw that other men where being release from their cells as well and they were all being guided by the Romans down the hall.

She whispered to Leo, "Where are we going?"

Leo gave her a look that questioned her sanity, "What are you talking about?" He asked her, he then turned glum. "We're going to the arena; today's a fighting day."

A weight dropped on Piper. That couldn't be right, Chiron had given her two days and she was only on her first. She had planned to save her father and hopefully the other village men tonight, but she couldn't do that if they were dead—forget that, she couldn't save anyone, if she were dead.

"What?" Piper was panicking. "But that's tomorrow."

Leo shook his head, "No, it's today...

Piper couldn't control herself. Her breathing increased rapidly, as did her heartbeat. Her fingers tapped against her leg as she impatiently ran her tongue along her front teeth. She was having a panic attack. This was all wrong, this couldn't be happening. She couldn't have come all this way, locking herself in a death trap in the process, all to just be told that she had been a day too late?

The Romans stopped the group in a large corridor, leaving them in a mob. Piper searched the room for her father, and found him, mid-crowd, on the far left. The Roman soldiers were talking with a man that Piper recognized as the man who whipped her father: the Captain. It took all of her will power not to claw his eyes out.

The Romans broke away from their leader and begin pulling men from the groups, exactly five of them—one of which was a young boy, no older than twelve. Piper could hear a crowd chanting for blood outside, it was true, today they'd fight. Piper eyed the young boy, feeling sorry for him, and even more angry at the Romans for killing a child.

"Stop! Please!" The boy was in tears as the Romans dragged him to join the other men.

"Stop! You cannot take him, he is a child!" That was a voice Piper recognized. "I will go in his place."

The Romans turned to the Captain, pondering if there could be volunteers. The Captain thought a moment, and shrugged, then nodded. Why not? Death was death. This time, Piper had to clench her fists to keep from moving, as the boy was thrown back and her father was pulled from the crowd.

"No." Piper whispered, she was supposed to save him, and now he was choosing death.

Leo had heard her objection, "What's wrong with you, Pericles? You should be glad it wasn't us."

"Oh, yeah, I guess." Except she wasn't.

A barred door was connected to a machine with a crank, as one of the soldiers turned it the door rose, and the entire group was shoved out. In that moment, Piper felt real fear, something you haven't lived until you've experienced it. She felt the blood rush to her ears as her fingertips went numb. But she wasn't scared for herself, she was scared for her father.

A loud voice was heard over the crowd as they entered, "Now presenting, your tributes!"

The five tributes stood in a line in front of the rest of the group. Her father was the only one who stood tall, while the others were slouched over, just begging to be stabbed. A table of old rusted swords and other weapons had been laid out for the tributes to pick from.

There was one that was different from the rest, buried beneath a few spears, if she hadn't been looking for it, she wouldn't have seen it. It was reflective in the sun, like a looking glass—Katropis, her dagger. No one noticed the only presentable weapon, each man grabbed a sword—obviously none had training and swords seemed to be the easiest.

Piper glanced around at her surroundings, a trait she had learned from Chiron. She spotted the emperor and the prince in a grand balcony, recognizing them from her earlier trial, but even if she hadn't attended the trail, she would've known it was them. With their style in togas and the crown placed upon Jupiter's head, it was fairly easy.

"And introducing, your gladiators!"

There was a bigger cheer for the gladiators, and they were exactly what Piper had expected. There were five of them, one for each tribute. They were well-muscled and well-fed, unlike the skinny hungry tributes. They wore Roman style armor, protecting them from whatever threat their opponents offered, while the tributes wore thin tunics and togas. Each carried a polished sword, as well as spears or knives.

Piper felt her anger grow even more, this was an unfair fight.

And then, Piper watched four men die.

The fights were quick, the odds obviously in the favor of the well-trained warriors. Despite it wasn't a fair fight, or a fair win, the gladiators still raised their arms in triumphs, showing off that they defeated a starving, half-dead man. It made Piper sick, these men had no honor; they were no Pericles.

The moment Piper had been regretting had come, it was her father's turn to fight. He turned and gave one last look to the group of other men, when he locked eyes on Piper. His eyes widened as he recognized his child, now there was more at stake. She had managed to get in, but if he died, she'd be stuck here... as an orphan.

Tristan turned to his opponent, luckily the youngest and weakest of the gladiators, Piper thanked the gods for that. Despite his lack of facing up to the gladiators, he was obviously well-trained and still very fit. He unsheathed a gleaming sword, unlike Tristan's rusted one.

Her father was as awkward with a sword as Piper had expected; the man had never so much as touched a butter knife for more than five seconds. He held it in his right hand, and mimicked the steps of his opponent, as they circled each other. If it had been Piper fighting, she would've known to keep to his left, where his eye had been replaced with a black eye patch—his weakness.

The gladiator charged in a Roman fighting fashion, with his sword outwards to stab his opponent, and Piper thought that was it, that her father was dead. She looked away, to prevent from seeing the awful moment, but she never heard a cry of pain or the sound of a sword entering a body. She heard a clang. She opened her eyes, to see that her father had connected blades with the gladiator. Piper was surprised that his blade hadn't broken in half from the rust.

As the two struggled back and forth, Piper was amazed that her father had skills, no matter how weak they were—if he shifted to the left a little bit the fight would be over in Tristan's favor. Tristan pushed back the gladiator with a severe amount of force, and they begin to duel. Tristan kept defensive, Piper knew that he would never blatantly harm another man.

Piper just hoped that her father would have it in him to finish the job, and save himself.

* * *

**Tristan**

Tristan didn't like it.

He didn't like it at all; fighting another man was not something Tristan enjoyed, nor something he excelled at. He was actually surprised he wasn't dead yet, and he was sure it was a major shock to the gladiator he was dueling. Tristan would've given in and let this man kill him ages ago, but there was one thing stopping him.

Piper. He had found his daughter.

She was in the back row, of the _men _who were not fighting, thank the gods for that. She was safe. At first, he had been shocked into believing that it wasn't even Piper, but he eventually came to accept it. Only his daughter would be clever and stupid enough to attempt something so risky.

It was for her that he kept fighting. If he died, she would be left alone as an orphan, as well as left to figure her own way out of the Colosseum. He couldn't leave her, especially in a time like this when they had been stolen from their home and taken to a strange place where you're sent to die.

No, Tristan didn't want to do it, but it had to be done.

His opponent charged at him, Tristan noted that his fighting style consisted of doing such a thing very often. Brute force, that's how all the gladiators fought, but without thinking before acting, victory is a slim chance. Tristan merely stepped out of the way, and held his foot out, tripping the gladiator as he dropped his sword, before placing his rusted sword at his neck.

Tristan swallowed, fighting to keep his sword steady. The gladiator looked surprised, as was the audience. The entire was completely silent, so that a dropped pin could be heard. No one moved, no one breathed. A rustling was heard in front of Tristan, the emperor had stood from his seat. Tristan looked at him, he held out his thumb and turned it over—the signal to kill his opponent.

Tristan would hate himself forever if he did it, but then he would be killed if he didn't, and leaving Piper alone was not an option. Suggestions on what to do flowed through his mind, but none of them would solve anything. He had a choice to make, one that would affect him for the rest of his life, or whatever was left of it.

Then, in a flash of time, the deed was done.

Tristan will never get the sound of pain out of his ears. He will never get the sound of his sword cutting the throat of that gladiator out of his head. He will never forget the sound as the crowd _cheered _for him as he did it. He wishes to never remember, but he will never forget.

* * *

As the crowd cheered, the victor raised his hands as the other gladiators had, showing their win.

Emperor Jupiter was not amused. He scratched his chin, thinking. This man was the first to ever win a fight against his gladiators, and now Ethan Nakumara was dead. Jupiter would not mourn, he would do no such thing. As the crowd shouted for this man, they loved this man; this man gave them hope.

In his rule, Jupiter had a very thin hold over his people, a rule that could not be broken. He had to silence any threat that came to him, and this man was a threat. He turned to his most trusted soldier, Perseus, but then he turned away to his second, Luke. Perseus still had a heart in him, Luke had none.

"I don't like him." Jupiter spoke. "He gives them too much hope. Kill him."

"Yes, sir." Luke was obedient.

As Tristan was still showing off in the center of the ring, hiding his shame, Luke was coming down the steps behind Tristan. Everyone assumed it was to congratulate and introduce a new gladiator, as those where the rules—when a tribute killed a gladiator, he took his place.

Luke was close to Tristan, when he drew his sword.

No one stopped him.

No one objected to him.

No one said anything; they were afraid of Luke.

As Luke's blade went straight through Tristan's back and into his heart, Luke did not feel any remorse. He held him there for a moment, guiltless, and fairly happy, he whispered into the man's ear. He'd know the message, intimidated as he died.

"The Emperor had ordered your death," Luke hissed, "nothing personal, _Graecus."_

And he removed his sword, allowing the man to fall, dead, to the ground. The arena fell silent as Luke went back to his place next to the emperor. Piper was in shock. Her father was dead. Her father was dead. Her father was dead! It took all of her strength not to grab Katropis and stab the man who'd done it. Repeatedly. And she'd ashamed to say she didn't. But as she watched him go back to his seat, she realized that this was no longer about saving the villagers—they were as good as dead.

This was about revenge.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, the ending was rushed, and there's probably a million spelling errors. But I'm a girl and girl's are in pain at certain times, and I'm all pissy, so I don't really care right now. **

**Anyways, Read and Review!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	6. Digging

**Hello, my lovelies! I can't tell you how many reviews and PMs I got with "Oh (PROFANITY)! Tristan's dead!" (You know, you guys are a bunch of potty mouths) I found this funny, since I thought everyone would see it coming, I did kind of make it obvious... Along with those reviews and PMs, I got told to update, so I am. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**But I own a Harry Potter wizarding wand (I have Fleur Delacours...) That's right people. You are a reading fanfiction written by a PJ, HP, Hunger Games, X-Men, Avengers, Avatar the Last Airbender Nerd. And that's just what I can think of right now. You guys are lucky I hate vampires...**

* * *

**Piper**

Someone was shaking her awake.

Piper shrugged it off, assuming it was her father, trying to get her up for the day to make his breakfast. He shook her harder, almost desperately. Piper pushed his hand off—if he had set the stove on fire again, it was his problem this time. He put both hands on her, and shook her harder.

It was uncomfortable, and Piper didn't appreciate her father trying so hard to wake her up. His nails dug into her skin, as the warmness of his skin pressed harder into her forearm, shaking even harder. He even resorted to slapping her bicep gently, a few times.

"Pericles." He whispered, urgently. "Wake up."

Pericles? That didn't sound like her father. Piper cracked open her eyes, and with her groggy morning vision saw a young thin Latino man, nearly rocking her off her sleeping mat. Piper panicked, and scrambled off her mat. Where was she? Who was he? Stone surrounded her on three sides, and the fourth was metal bars. There was minimal light in the room, though she wasn't sure where it could've come from as there was no lit candle or window.

"Pericles?" The boy asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, but you have to get up. We have work today."

"Work?" Piper asked, sleepily.

"Yeah—hey are you sick or something? Your voice sounds a little high-pitched."

It all came back to Piper. It was still new to her, it had only been three weeks. Her village was gone. She had been trained in swordsmanship. She had gotten herself arrested. Her father was dead. Piper felt her vision tunnel on his memory.

Waking up was the worst part when you've lost someone dear to you. During sleep, you forget much of what happened the day before, and when you awake the next day, it takes a moment to remember and then it's like losing him all over again. At least, that's what Piper was feeling, she wasn't sure if anyone was as weak as her.

"Pericles? Are you okay?" The boy had a concerned look on his face.

Piper's vision cleared to Leo's image, "Yeah." She deepened her voice to clear Leo's unnecessary concerns. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good, because we got a long day of work ahead of us." Beckondorf was in his corner.

"Work?" Piper questioned.

"Yeah. When we aren't fighting, we're working." Beckondorf explained, with a hint a bitterness in his voice. "It's just another way to put the advantage to the gladiators. They relax all week, while we exhaust ourselves, working."

"What if we refuse to work?"

"Then we don't eat." Beckondorf answered, bluntly.

"Oh." Piper's voice was quiet.

"Yeah, come on, gentlemen." Leo gestured them to the barred door, as the Roman's unlocked their cell, releasing them into the flow of traffic of other men, glumly walking to another day of work.

_Yeah. _Piper thought to herself. _Gentlemen._

* * *

Piper had already sweated through her tunic, making it two shades darker, and it wasn't even noon yet.

They were digging holes. Piper didn't know why they were, whilst some of the other men were sharpening and forging weapons, while others baked bread and carried supplies. Beckondorf had been taken with a group that left to build roads and walls. She guessed the Roman's had run out of actual things for them to do, so they made them do meaningless things.

Leo was with her, as were some of the younger and less muscled men. Perhaps this is where they'd build up strength, and then they'd go build roads. The shovels were rusted, like the weapons they were given to fight with. Piper was officially positive that the Romans had no soul.

The sun was hot on the back of her neck, as it burned her skin, and she was sure it did the same to the others in her group. They too, had sweated through their clothing. Piper's grip was slick with sweat on the shovel's handle, as even more of the gross liquid burned her eyes. She had never been so hot and sweaty in her entire life.

It had been just Piper's luck that the boy her father had saved in the arena was put into her digging group, and the poor boy couldn't figure out why she couldn't look him in the eye. No one would ever know, she'd take it to her grave, which was quite possibly next week. To make matters worse, the Romans that guarded them were constantly yelling death threats at them.

"If you don't finish that hole within the next ten minutes, I'll go into that arena and stab you myself!"

"I wonder how badly it would hurt if I cut your eyes from your skull..."

"You sure are looking thirsty, wouldn't it be a shame if we left you here, wounded, with no water?"

After the first few insults, Piper learned not to listen. They were too horrible for her to give any mind to them, besides, she knew that if any of them were harmed, the Roman soldiers would pay. With the entertainment dead, someone would have to take it's place, and the Romans didn't care who it was. Death was death.

About an hour later, the soldiers had gathered in a group and were muttering amongst themselves. Piper couldn't hear what they were saying, she doubted anyone outside their little gathering could, but she could hear them snickering as they spoke to each other. Finally, they broke apart, and one soldier who seemed to be the head of the group, stepped forward.

"Drop your shovels. Line up in front of the holes." His command was short and simple, but nobody moved. "Now!"

Everyone dropped their shovels, and did as they were told. Piper stood next to Leo, who kept his head down, the humor of his eyes was gone and replaced by fear. A few of the boys were crying, some were muttering prayers, other were simply silent in shock. Piper was only confused, until she heard the slick sound of a freshly polished sword being unsheathed.

A timorous group of tears leaked from Leo's eyes. "Dear gods, no."

"What? What are they doing?" Piper had a pretty good hunch, but prayed she was wrong.

Leo didn't answer as the soldier drug his sword on the group centimeters from their heels. Piper could feel the coolness of the sword as it barely missed her, and the breath of the soldier down her neck. Piper felt obligated to keep her head down, but she did the opposite, proudly pushing her chin up as her father did in his final moments.

Piper was chilled to the bone, even under the hot sun, it was as if she was almost dead or close to it. Honestly, Piper couldn't tell if she was dead or alive, she felt nothing. A deep sadness washed over her, almost as if her body was ensuring her that she was indeed alive.

Piper looked on the bright side of it, and she was confident she was the only one who could find a positive in the situation—she would see her father again. She was sure she could find him in Hades; she had too, it wasn't an option not to.

As the man made it to the end of the line, Piper looked down the hole in front of her, one she'd just dug in fear. It was deep, about six feet, she remembered how the rocky soil had been rough against her skin when she'd been throwing it out of the hole. She was sure it wouldn't feel to good against her face, and with momentum; it was a long fall.

But in the end, it wouldn't matter—she'd be gone before she'd hit the dirt.

* * *

**So? Just a little cliffhanger. It was pretty short, but I'm tired, and this was more of a filler chapter, one that was short and easy to read. People keep asking me, "what about Jason?" "When will Piper fight?" All in good time my lovely ones. So, because it was short, I'll give a little writer's advice. **

**Writer's Advice: What are writers?**

**An excellent question. What are writers? Who are we and what is our purpose? I am a writer, and I know that for sure. Writers are a special breed of people, who are just a little more creative than Taylor Swift writing a break-up song. We are the people who will Google and memorize twenty different types of cheeses just in case it could come up in our writing. **

**We're the nerds you see at Comic Con, and at Barnes and Noble everyday. We have Harry Potter Wizarding Wands (*Cough* Fleur Delacour's *Cough*) We have the Ultimate Percy Jackson guides, and Demi-god Diaries. We're the people who had tried to see if we have super powers, more than once. We're readers. We're dreamers. We're fangirls. We're people who send emails for the rights to their favorite books. **

**And I know, right here, and right now, that I want to be an author when I get older. I love the feeling when people PM me saying, "OMG! When will you update! I am fangirling right now?" And I've gotten a lot of those, and every time I get one, I get a new background on my computer. **

**And the cool thing is, is that we don't care what other people think of us. We just want people who read our stories to like them and to be hooked, and to fall in love with our characters—to pretend they're real and datable. That's really all we are: creative people who just want to make others happy. **

**And if you don't want that, you're not going to be a very good writer...**

* * *

**Never—and I seriously mean it—Never ever, ever, ever, stop being such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	7. A Joke Too Far

**So, how badly did I scare you with the last chapter? Anyways, I think this is going to be the last chapter for a while, this story isn't going anywhere...LOL JK. I bet I just gave half of you a heart attack. No I actually like this story. It takes a lot for a story idea to actually get written, and this one passed, so I'm going to do a lot with it. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**You know I've been thinking that instead of writing "disclaimer," I should write disLAMER... don't worry...it'll catch on...**

* * *

_You haven't lived, until you've nearly died._

* * *

**Piper**

Piper was forcing the tears back.

She had never been more scared in her life, or rather in her near-death. She was do close to joining her father—she could nearly see his face again and smell his scent. It was frightening. She had been positive of her death just from the sheer strong beating of her heart.

Can a person die from that?

Piper wasn't sure that her heart would cause her death, but even if it didn't, a sword through her stomach would probably get the job done. The soldier with such a sword merely walked up and down behind the line of prisoners, including Piper, testing how far intimation could take a person.

She was in a group of young boys, assured that she, at age fifteen, was the oldest beside Leo, and that was the worst part of it. It was one thing to kill a group of grown men, who had lived their lives to some extent, but to kill a group of twelve-year old boys was something else.

Piper had one card up her sleeve, a last resort that would ensure the survival of the other boys. She was a girl. She could reveal herself, and that would immediately take the attention away the boys' and towards killing her. It wasn't something she'd prefer to do, mainly because the sure only way to really prove it would be to remove her tunic to show her chest bindings, but it was all that came to mind.

Piper gripped the hem of her tunic, rubbing it between her fingers, still deciding. When the soldier pressed his sword against the throat of the youngest boy, drawing a thin line of blood, Piper started to pull it up. Before she could, the groups of soldiers starting laughing. Hysterically. Then it hit Piper.

This was a joke.

It was all a joke. Leo relaxed beside her, seeming to be thankful that it was all just some crummy one-liner. Rather than being relaxed, Piper was angry beyond means. Half of the boys had nearly been scared into a coma, while the other half had cried and begged for mercy. This was sick. Piper could simply detached herself from the ranks, and walk up to the soldier and disarm him.

Then stab him with his own sword.

Piper felt sick after thinking such a thing. She was a Pericles, never to harm another man as her father had taught her. She sent a dirty look to the soldier and his friends, but it went unnoticed as they were laughing to hard. However, they immediately shut up as soon as the Captain, their leader, walked up.

The Captain was the person Piper had hated the most in the previous weeks. He had been the very bane of her existence, and the very reason that Piper's entire life had changed. How could a man with so much blood on his hands, still carry himself with so much pride?

He walked through the group with two of his centurions behind him, and everyone automatically parted for him. Piper wouldn't had if Leo hadn't pulled her aside, slapping her arm as if to ask if she'd finally gone crazy. He inspected the holes, though Piper wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for. They were holes. How could you possibly go wrong with a hole?

The Captain nodded his head after his thorough examination of the holes, then turned to the soldiers, quickly whispering back and forth with the soldier who'd threatened the group with his sword. After a few moments of quieted conversing, the Captain turned back to the group and looked them over, then clicked his tongue in disappointment. He made a fast grab for his own sword, but as the group gasped in fear, he chuckled and not even placing a finger on the hilt.

He shook his head, then with a stern look in his eye, he said, "You have the arena to worry about."

Then he turned on his heel and strode out followed by his centurions. Piper and the prisoners stayed for a moment in a huddle, as the soldiers talked amongst themselves in laughter of the day's events. No one spoke or laughed in the prisoners' circle, they mostly wrapped their arms around each other in assurance that they were, in fact, still alive.

Leo sensed the sadness in the air, and joked around to liven everyone's spirits, "Well," he chuckled, "it's a good thing he didn't come near me, I would've pulled the ole one-two on 'em!"

As he mimicked punching, first with his right, and then with his left, some of the other boys chuckled at Leo's clear incapability of doing what he'd just claimed he could. Even Piper cracked a smile at his continued remarks until they were ordered silent by the soldiers, and then taken back towards the arena.

But even as they went, Leo whispered to Piper, "They can take away our lives, but they can never steal our sense of humor." Then he put his head down, as a soldier gave him a look, telling him that he would pay for talking.

The laughter was gone, and glum faces returned to the young boys as they were forced back to their deaths. Each boy kept his head down, fearing that he might memorize the face of the boy next to him, only to have him be killed in the following week. As the holes started to vanish from sight, Piper looked back to them.

What if they were digging their own graves?

* * *

**Leo**

Leo was stolen from his sleeping mat in the middle of the night.

A cold hand was placed in front of his mouth to prevent him from making any noise. Leo's eyes darted from Pericles to Beckondorf, who had remained untouched and asleep. Leo thrashed in a sad attempt to awake his friends, but they remained silent. Someone grabbed his legs and bound them with a rope before picking them up to hold him still and steady. Another grabbed his wrist and tied them behind his back, while another pulled a blindfold to cover his eyes.

There were three of them, Leo was sure of this, and they kept him still and quiet. One carried his legs, the other his arms, and the last kept his hand over Leo's mouth. Leo wasn't sure to be afraid or happy. Was he being rescued? Or was he being executed? It was impossible beneath his blindfold to tell whether his kidnappers bore the uniform of a Roman soldier or not.

Leo had lost count of how many turns and hallways they had walked through, so he would have no idea of how to get back if they just left him here to die. That would be his execution. Why bother with a sword or a rope? There was no need. Then the men carrying him just stopped dead in their tracks. The hand was removed from Leo's mouth, but before Leo could scream for help, another hand had taken it's place.

Leo heard a wooden door slam open as he was dragged in. He was tired and weak from hunger and didn't bother fighting as his hands were untied and retied as he laid, frontwards, against a wooden pole. He tried to stand up, but his legs would not support him, and his hands had been tied to the wooden pole.

The door to the room suddenly slammed shut, and there was a sudden crack against the floor behind him. Leo had a sudden realization about where he was, and this was no rescue—he didn't need to see any uniform to know that. A cold chill ran down his spine as his blindfold was yanked off his face.

His eyes widened.

Leo knew this room.

He was afraid of this room.

* * *

After a few hours, Leo was dragged back into his cell with the morning sun.

Blood dripped down his back and his legs, as he grew dizzier and dizzier. He fell against Pericles sleeping body, on purpose, to wake him up as Leo was too weak to even speak. He could feel a tremble go through Pericles' body as he begin to acknowledge Leo's presence.

"Huh?" Pericles was awake. "Leo!"

Beckondorf woke up, "Wha—dear gods."

Beckondorf nearly threw up at the sight of Leo. He was a bloody mess with the skin torn away on his backside. There were clearly defined lines as the origins of the blood, as he was limp against Pericles. The lines traveled up his back and over his shoulders. Pericles flipped Leo over, and similar marks were found on his chest.

His shirt was torn to shreds, and it was soaked through with blood. Red welts decorated his flesh, where skin hadn't been broken from his punishment. Leo was breathless, and as Pericles gently and unsurely placed his hand against Leo's backside, he howled in pain.

"Leo." Pericle sounded concerned beyond means. "What. Happened."

"I don't know." Leo tried to say, but it came blurred together.

And truth be told, he didn't. It was all a big blur of blackness and pain. Leo felt sick to his stomach, and he was positive he'd thrown up a few times during the night. Beckondorf knelt next to him, examining the wounds, unsure of what to do first.

"Okay." Beckondorf decided. "Put him on his mat."

Leo had never experience such pain, and just by moving. He laid on his stomach, as it was less injured, as Beckondorf thought of what to do next. Leo watched through half-closed eyes as intense concentration traced over Beckondorf's face.

"Take of your tunic." He said to Pericles.

Pericles looked at Beckondorf as if he'd just told him to commit murder, before he quickly shook his head as if it were some awful secret to be kept.

"Just take it off, this is Leo's life we're talking about."

"Then take yours off." Pericles retorted, quickly.

Beckondorf gave him a look that labeled Pericles as the devil's servant, before removing his own tunic and placing it gently on Leo's back. It took all of Leo's willpower not to start crying like a five-year old child. It burned like Hades had set fire to Leo.

"Does that feel better, Leo?" Beckondorf asked him, and Leo nodded. "Now, Leo, try to think. What did they do to you?"

Leo chuckled, then looked to Pericles, "They took our sense of humor, Pericles."

Pericles stood from the group, and stood in Beckondorf's corner, placing his hands against the wall in a mix of depression and anger. Beckondorf pressed the tunic a little harder, not caring that the blood was soaking through and staining the tunic.

"I'm sorry, Leo." Beckondorf apologized. "But's that all we can do."

"No. It's not." Pericles suddenly went dark, not turning from the corner.

"What are you talking about?" Beckondorf stood from Leo.

"You don't know all my secrets."

"And what does that have to do with this?"

"I can get out."

Beckondorf raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What?"

"I can get out."

"Pericles, I think you're hallucinating or something. There's no way youcould get out" Beckondorf placed his hand on Pericles' shoulder.

Pericles looked at that hand, and with amazing speed grabbed it. He circled himself under Beckondorf's arm, and flipped Beckondorf over his shoulder. Beckondorf landed hard on the ground, but was up quickly, with his hands out ready to fight. Pericles, on the other hand, leaned causally against the stone wall of their cell.

Beckondorf surged forward to him. Pericles knocked his arms aside, and using Beckondorf's arms as support, flipped his legs over and gripped them around Beckondorf's beefy neck. Leo watched in amazement as Pericles used momentum to twist his legs in a way to make Beckondorf follow the movement and he landed even harder than before.

Beckondorf laid there in agony, as Pericles was on his feet, unharmed and barely even breathing roughly. Pericles walked to Beckondorf, and laid his knee on Beckondorf's chest. Neither spoke for a moment, as Leo switched his eyes between the two waiting for one of the two to open his mouth.

It was Pericles who spoke, "I," he paused to smirk,_ "_can get out."

Leo hoped he could, because he could feel himself growing numb.

* * *

_I've become so numb, I can't feel you there._

_Become so tired, so much more aware._

* * *

**Yes. I put quotes into this. The first one is just a saying, and the second one, I THINK, is from a Linkin' Park song. Either way, I don't own it. Anyways, I was a little more dramatic and dark with this chapter, tell me if you like it! I like this story, and I'm going to continue with it, and (Spoiler Alert) I'm actually planning on a sequel! **

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**You guys will always be Awesome Possums! :oD**


	8. Medicine Run

**Hey guys, sorry for not updating in about a week. I planned on updating much sooner, but I was tired and updating would take energy and motion—something I don't like doing in the summer. I've gotten so many PMs to update, I know, I'm sorry. I've left you with a near-dead Leo and a totally schooled Beckondorf... so here's the next chapter. **

**DisLAMER: I do not own the Percy Jackson series...**

**See what I did there? Hehe... Oh yeah...**

* * *

_**Previously on ****Roman**_

_I'm sorry, Leo." Beckondorf apologized. "But's that all we can do."_

_"No. It's not." Pericles suddenly went dark, not turning from the corner._

_"What are you talking about?" Beckondorf stood from Leo._

_You don't know all my secrets."_

_"And what does that have to do with this?"_

_"I can get out."_

_Beckondorf raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What?"_

_"I can get out."_

* * *

**Piper**

It was late at night, and sleep evaded Piper.

She was sure Beckondorf couldn't either. Leo kept them both up with moans of pain, except when he occasionally fell unconscious from the pain. Piper and Beckondorf laid on the cold ground, a good five feet from each other and Leo, as both had offered their sleeping mats to him. Although Leo and Beckondorf didn't believe her until she'd beat Beckondorf to a pulp, she had a plan.

She was going to escape, and she'd find medicine for Leo, but that wasn't her entire plan. She'd have to go to the market to purchase—rather steal—the bandages and medicine Leo needed. However, the only market close enough for her to get there and back in a few hours would be the one she'd gotten arrested at. That's where the main part of her plan came in.

She'd be questioned as Pericles, but not as Piper.

It was a carefully crafted plan that had to be carried out with extreme caution, even Leo and Beckondorf couldn't know the entire plan. They only knew she was going to escape to get Leo medicine, and that was where she left it, and they didn't press questions.

* * *

That morning, Piper had an argument with the soldiers.

Even in his condition, they still wanted Leo to work. He couldn't move and passed out every few minutes; he was in no state to do so. The Romans had tried to pull him to his feet, but when they released their hold on him, he collapsed in a heap on the floor. This became repetitive, and Romans are not patient people, so the Captain was called to fix the problem.

"Get up!" He yelled at Leo's twisted form.

Leo muttered something inaudible, as he laid, drooling incoherently, against the cold stone floor.

The Captain gripped Leo's sweaty black hair, and yanked his head up, "Get up, or I'll kill you." He drew his sword, and pressed it to Leo's neck.

That's when Piper snapped. She stepped forward, knowing full-well that she'd probably be beheaded with Leo, and shoved the Captain away from Leo. She placed herself between Leo and the Captain, her eyes full of all the hate and rage she'd been holding back for over a month. The Captain had a look of surprise on his face. No one moved. No one spoke. Everyone wore a look a shock that someone had stood up to the Captain.

"Don't touch him." Piper spoke with order in her voice.

"How dare you touch me—"

"I know, it was so gross." Piper wiped her hand, tauntingly, on her tunic.

"Who do you think you are?!"

Piper smiled, but didn't answer.

"Well?"

"I'm the man you fear."

"I fear no one."

"Not yet, you don't."

The Captain didn't respond, only kept a look of anger on his face, but uncertainty traced the inner corners of his pupils. Piper memorized that look, and she relished in it, knowing she'd see it again. Piper kept her eyes trained on the Captain, knowing that intimidation was key to victory from her time with Chiron.

In the silence, every onlooker knew the two were having a mental battle of wit and nerve. No one blinked, not wanting to miss the moment when one relinquished their stare on the other. And it was the Captain who did so, as Piper wore a smug look on her face.

The Captain turned to the rest of the group, "Let him stay here for today. Let his wounds get infected, where there is no one to hear his cries of pain."

The Captain made it sound so awful to get a day off of work, but in reality: any man would've jumped at the chance to switch places with Leo. Well... maybe not jumped. As the Captain was talking to his soldiers, probably to double security on Piper, Piper saw a small group of keys hanging loosely from the Captain's waist belt. She wanted those keys.

As the Captain was leaving, Piper forced herself to walk up to the Captain.

She bowed her head, "My sincerest apologies, Captain, but as a man in prison, you have to appear as though you are above all. I know you do not fear me," and this took all her strength, "I fear you."

The Captain nodded to her, almost treating her as an equal, but as he turned away from her, Piper gently caught the knot holding the keys and let the Captain use his own motion to untie it. The knot fell away, releasing the keys into Piper's other hand without a sound. Piper dropped them down the front of her loosened tunic, making them unnoticeable to the naked eye.

Piper smiled slightly after the Captain, and whispered to herself, "_not._ I fear you _not._"

* * *

After a long day's work, Piper almost wanted to skip out on the escape. Almost.

It was true that she was longing for sleep, and an exhausted body did no good for running and fighting—not that she planned to do either. Not only did she not want to, the ache of her body ordered her against it. It was to be a simple: get out and get in without being noticed.

Easier said than done.

Piper had stayed up countless hours to listen, perhaps another reason she was so tired. But she did as Chiron taught her. A victorious warrior waited to attack, and he pondered his options before he did so. She had no choice but to listen, and measure.

She had learned that it was exactly forty-six steps to the exit. She knew that there were two guards on the way there, but there was also a guard shift, in which two new guards would relieve the previous two, so they could rest. The shift took about five minutes as lazy Roman soldiers, who left their duty early, didn't expect anybody could—let alone try—to escape.

She knew this shift occurred four times a night, and that the guards moved to her left—their right. She would leave on the second, and return on the fourth. It was risky. If she was late, she'd be caught and killed. She had about three hours to make it to the market about a mile away, steal the medicine, and get back without anyone noticing.

Still easier said than done.

As she lay awake on the cold floor, Piper waited for the sound of the movement. When she heard two voices speak to each other in Latin before a bunch of rustling and footsteps occurred, Piper knew it was time. She waited a small moment for the rustling to stop, and then she jumped up, removing the Captain's keys from her tunic and unlocked her cell door.

She closed and locked it behind herself. She silently crept down the hall, on the balls of her feet. Chiron had taught her to be light on her toes, so she could easily walk without being heard. She was on step forty, and the exit was only around the corner when she ran into a problem.

There were two guards standing at ready, in front of the exit. With swords.

Piper wished for her own weapon, but wishing would do her no good. She cursed herself for being so idiotic as to not think that there would be someone posted at the door. She couldn't fight her way through—not because she didn't have her dagger, but because she couldn't be discovered.

_Quick and Clever. _

One of Chiron's many teachings. He had told her that many great warriors didn't even need to use violence to win the bloodiest of wars, only their wit. Piper crouched by the corner, and breathed thinking what to do. She ran her fingers along the stone floor in anticipation, when her right hand found her wit.

A small piece of rubble, probably dislocated from it's original stone after years of being stepped on.

She picked it up, and tossed it low around the corner as far away from her position as she could. It landed with a small clang and the two guards' ears perked up. They both drew their swords as one pressed his finger to his lips, ordering the other silent for a sneak attack.

As they both slowly crept the wrong way to hopefully catch an escapee, Piper silently eased open the trap door that led down into the catacombs, but on that night, it led her to her freedom—however short it would be. She slid it into place, before a sudden thought hit her. How would she get back in?

Meh. She'd figure something out.

All that mattered right now was Leo. As her first steps of freedom turned into a sprint, Piper couldn't help but feel free, but she wasn't entirely yet. Outside the market was a water well. Piper remembered this when she was arrested and taken past it; it was a key part in her plan.

She pushed the bucket down, and cranked it back up when she heard a pleasing splash. She washed her face of it's grime and dirt, revealing her feminine cheekbones. She took drinks in between washes, savoring hydration. She undid the makeshift cloth tie on her hair, letting down a shoulder-length wave of an oily brown mess.

She only rinsed her hair, loving the clean feeling. When she was positive no one was around to look, she lifted her tunic and undid her chest bindings, tucking it under her tunic and into her waistline as she did with the Captain's keys. She was officially Piper McLean once more.

The first thing she noticed about the market was that it was spine-chilling at night.

It gave her the feeling that there was someone constantly behind her, breathing down her neck, making the small hairs stand up. Piper had already known that they sold different things at the market during the night, but this was unlike what she had expected.

She swallowed every few minutes as she constantly looked around, ensuring that there was no one near her. As she walked into a more lively part of town, the cat calls began. There were drunken gentlemen, sitting outside pubs and taverns calling her towards them, but Piper ignored them.

As she walked into the main square, it was lively with excitement. Secret alcohol and slave auctions were taking place, but when Piper saw someone she knew it surprised her. Prince Jason. He had a girl under each arm, both talking to him in whispered tones with small smirks upon their faces.

When he caught sight of her, he wouldn't break his stare, ignoring the two girls trying to regain his attention. Piper had to admit that he was attractive, and mysterious with a scar upon his upper lip. She found herself wanting to know where that scar came from, until she pushed herself out of it. She gave him a look of distaste, ignoring his look of confusion, and continued on.

She could feel his eyes on her as she left, memorizing every inch of her. Her hand immediately went to her hip, where Katropis used to be, she felt anger when she came back empty-handed. She increased her walking pace, knowing she had maybe thirty minutes to steal the medicine and an hour to get back as Pericles. She continued on through the square, and back into the streets, where no one could see her stealing.

It was simple. Pick the lock, grab the medicine and bandages. She did it with ease, and even locked the door behind herself. As she passed a clothing store, she felt it's pull, wanting some new clothing as she looked at her bloody tunic. And so she did.

Two thefts in the same night.

That was a new record.

She changed into her new tunic, putting her chest bindings back on. She retied her hair, hoping it didn't look too wet. She kneeled down to the ground, scooping some mud into her hand and smearing on her face. She was Pericles again, as she ran back towards the catacombs.

Then her thoughts came back to her: how was she to get back in? She had merely pushed the thought away, promising herself she'd solve the problem later. Now she didn't have a solution, and she sat outside the stone trap door, as fearfully precious moments went by. Suddenly she had it.

She roughly pushed open the stone, causing it to completely fall off as she dropped behind it—flat against the ground. The two guards on duty were immediately outside the catacombs, muttered to each other in Latin, and went to search for anyone who could have done it.

When they were out of sight, Piper quickly dropped down into the catacombs. She could hear the guards moving, as she sprinted to her cell. She unlocked it, opened and closed herself in it. She locked it behind herself, then slid the Captain's keys down the hallway away from her cell.

It was a quick set of motions, as she flew to her sleeping area and pretended to be in a deep sleep, with her new found belongings tight against her chest. When the guards were set, Piper quietly shook Beckondorf awake. He sleepily opened his eyes and blinked at her, he nearly yawned before Piper clamped her hand over his mouth and shoved the supplies at him.

He held them in his arms, and looked at her in surprise as he whispered, "I can't believe you actually—"

"Ssh!" She hushed him. "Just fix Leo."

He nodded and set to work on Leo. He gently shook him awake, and Leo seemed shocked to find that Piper had actually managed to sneak out and steal the supplies. Didn't anyone have faith in her? Piper smiled sadly to herself with the memory of her father; he had always believed in her. Once Beckondorf was done with Leo, Piper was near sleep—turned away from the two, hoping that he'd take a hint that she didn't want to talk.

But he didn't, "I'll admit, Pericles, I'm impressed."

"Thanks." Piper said, breathily.

"But I have to ask you something..." He trailed off.

"What?"

"Didn't you get in here because you were arrested for stealing?"

"Yeah."

"Did you go to the market where you were arrested?"

"Yeah."

"Then how did no one recognize you?"

"Believe me, Beckondorf, they couldn't even if they tried."

* * *

**Ah. See what I did there? Sorry for spelling and grammar errors (I write fast) and sorry this chapter was a little short. So I guess that gives you a little more Jason, don't worry, he'll be in, a lot more soon. I want them to have a slow descend into their romance, and they certainly can't be together when Piper is posing as Pericles. I don't like the immediate, OHMYGOD, ILOVEYOU, types of stories. I think it should be gradual, especially when they don't really know each other yet. **

**So, in conclusion, Slow Jasper love—but don't worry, when I do get to it, _Oh, I get to_****_ it..._**

**I hope you guys are okay with that. **

**So, Read and Review!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	9. A Man With Honor

**Hello my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, because I've decided to write another one (which I usually don't do two days after the previous one). I didn't get any flames on the last chapter, and I've only had one flame so far (which is okay, because you guys are so awesome! I've gotten about five PMs saying how off-base the flame was). **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**And this, is where it gets good...**

* * *

**Piper**

Piper was literally thrown from her blood-stained sleeping mat after about five minutes of sleep.

The Captain, with his centurions flanking his left and right, stood over her with a look of malice upon his face. Leo had been hauled to his feet, with two Romans supporting him. Beckondorf had been pushed from his mat, and onto his knees with four soldiers keeping him there. Piper looked about the cell, and merely stretched her arms and yawned, as if none of it bothered her.

"Can I help you?" She sat up, and crossed her legs.

The Captain spoke through his teeth in anger, "How. Did. He. Heal?" He pointed to Leo.

Piper shrugged, nonchalantly, "gift from the gods?"

Even the Captain knew better than to argue with such an answer concerning all-powerful immortal beings, but he pressed anyways, "why would the gods help such lowlife criminals?"

"I think the proper question is, 'why _wouldn't _they?'"

The Captain looked between Piper and Beckondorf, "I think one of you two went out and got it for him."

"How?"

Piper gave a small smile to her two friends; she had him in checkmate. In the minds of the Romans, the catacombs were inescapable. There would be no way for someone to have left and gotten back, especially in the same night. Not only was it unlikely, it was impossible. Good thing Piper had a knack for doing the impossible.

The Captain didn't respond to her, as Piper had expected. There was a sudden silence clouding the room, as the Captain looked to his soldiers with a sudden distrust. This was going better than Piper expected. The soldiers released Beckondorf and Leo, and left in a hurry to follow their leader.

"That was pretty brilliant, Pericles," Leo looked shaken.

"It wasn't brilliant!" Beckondorf exclaimed. "That was awful, we could've gotten killed! What if they figure out that you lied?"

Piper merely smiled, "and what if they don't?"

"Well—eh—um—gods, Pericles! I hate it when you're right..."

Piper chuckled, about to respond when Leo stepped in between them with a grim expression.

"Who cares who's right?" Leo asked. "We got bigger problems."

"What—" Piper started to say, but she cut herself off, understanding.

None of them spoke, but the light mood suddenly darkened with fear and melancholy. The three of them slouched out of their cell, following the flow of the other men. Everyone stared at the ground, refusing to look at the man next to him. How long had it been? Piper had lost track of time with everything that had happened to Leo. Had it already been a week?

She got her answer when the fresh smell of blood invaded her nostrils.

* * *

No one dared to look up to the Captain, as he glanced through the crowds deciding his victims.

A cold chill was in the air, as if the Hades had already arrived to claim the souls of the tributes. Piper wanted it to be her, but she also wanted it to be someone else. She had never fought to kill, in fact, the only serious fight she'd ever been in was practice with Chiron. That wouldn't prepare her for a fight with a real cold-blooded killer.

But she also had better chances than anyone else here.

"You." The Captain pointed to a man. "You. You. You, and you."

Piper glanced up at the tributes. Mostly older men, except for one boy. He was young—ten or eleven, at best—and hadn't even lost all his baby teeth. What was with this guy and killing kids? It was unfair, and Piper looked around, hoping that someone would volunteer for him.

The boy hoped so too. He looked at each man, and none would return his stare. His fearful eyes begged for help, but no one would answer his call. The boy closed his eyes, letting the tears he had been holding back fall. He knew he would die, and no man would prolong his life.

"I will take his place!" Piper heard her deepened voice ring through the crowd.

"Pericles?" Next to her, Leo was freaking out. "Gah? What? Huh? What are you doin—mah!"

The crowd split for Piper, as they let her to the front. The boy was being pushed back to his place by the soldiers, but he broke away, running to Piper. The boy threw his arms around her in thanks, with teary eyes; he was unable to speak out of pure relief.

A line was formed once more of the tributes, with the remaining prisoners behind. The other four tributes were trembling in their tunics, as they were pushed out. Piper walked freely, rolling her eyes at them. They stood in a line, Piper being the only one not hunched over in a turtled defense.

She looked back to Leo and Beckondorf, noticing they had pushed their way to the front. They both gave her encouraging smiles and nods, but when she knew they were fake. The little boy she'd saved had his eyes closed tight, causing the skin to fold over on the bridge of his nose.

Piper was last, and she was sickened. She had a front-row seat to the death of four men. She hadn't known any of them, only seen them a few times around the catacombs and at work, but she still felt a pang of remorse for their lives. She'd avenge them, and the best part was: it would be a surprise to everyone.

When she was given the choice to choose a weapon, she only took Katropis. She didn't take a shield or any back-up weapon, only her dagger. The boy she was fighting was a little older than her, with blonde hair and golden armor. She didn't remember him from the previous week; he was the replacement for the boy her father had killed.

With Katropis gripped in her hand, she felt unstoppable and unbeatable. She was going to win this fight, and make a point doing it. The boy looked awkward in his armor, like he didn't want to be there. That was okay, Piper didn't want to be there either.

When the gong was struck, and the fight started, neither moved from their spots. Both were waiting for the other, Piper took the time to analyze him. He carried a four-foot long sword in his right hand, but had a knife poorly concealed at his wrist. When he took his stance, his right foot was supporting his weight, letting Piper know he favored his right side.

He didn't charge her, which meant he didn't like fighting and didn't really want too. The gong sounded again, as the crowd became impatient. Piper stood there, ignoring the boos of the audience, not even in a proper stance. She allowed him to underestimate him, and that was her advantage over him. Surprise.

When he finally ran at her, Piper barely regarded him—only moving to the side at the last moment, holding out her leg, and tripping him. There was a gasp of shock from the entire audience, as he fell. Piper smiled at him, not rushing towards him, instead waiting for him to get up.

It was one of the first lessons she learned from Chiron: _Never be too eager to attack your opponent. _

When he hauled himself to his feet, he looked at her in surprise. She half-smiled at him, when he slowly crept into the attack. He was trying to adapt to her fighting style. He swung his sword at her, and she blocked it with her dagger. Another look of shock came upon his face, and Piper took the opportunity to knee his stomach where his breast plate detached from his leg guards.

She turned into him, shoving her thumbnail into the blood vein on his wrist, yanking open his palm. She jerked his sword out of his hand, and elbow the side of his helmet, which banged against his own head harder than her elbow could've alone. She then threw him over her shoulder, where he fell and laid against the dirt, tired and defeated.

The whole crowd watched as Piper walked calmly to his sword, and stomped on the end of the blade, causing the handle to jump into her hand. She slowly walked over to him, and he closed his eyes, preparing for the end. Piper could feel the crowd slowly standing from the edge of their seats, waiting for her the finish it.

Instead she yanked his helmet off, and walked over to the table of weapons for the tributes. She dug the blade into the dirt, and dropped his golden helmet on the hilt, where it casually leaned off to the right. She gave the weapon to the tributes, ever-so-slightly evening the odds. Piper walked past him, with her head held high, and he shrunk deeper into the ground as he winced at her presence.

She walked back to the entrance of the catacombs, the arena and the other prisoners still silent her display, when she suddenly stopped before the doors. She walked back out, to where Jupiter could see her clearly. She looked up at him, with a look of extreme hatred upon her face. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as Piper, mockingly, held out her thumb as Jupiter did. She directed her message at him.

There was a quiet mutter amongst the crowd, but when Piper turned her thumb down, an unionized gasp took the audience. She had disobeyed Jupiter by leaving her opponent alive, and now she had her eyes on a new target: the emperor, himself.

While the crowd seemed shocked, Piper, on the other hand, was enjoying herself

* * *

Up in the seats, in a private box, sat the emperor.

His son, Jason, was by his side, with his mouth wide-open at the man who had just broken every rule every written for the Colosseum and disrespected his father, the emperor. The emperor couldn't deny he wasn't angry, but he was good at hiding it. The emperor calmly stared at the man, who hadn't dropped his thumb, with his lips pursed in thought.

Options played through his head like a melody. He could simply have the man executed, or order an attack on him right now with dozens of soldiers. He could let him walk away, but it was rare for Emperor Jupiter to be offended and not take action. He could wait it out, and let the man think he was safe, and at the precise moment, he could strike.

He eyed the two men standing behind him. They were both generals, each with qualities needed for war. Luke Castellan. He was a hardened warrior, an assassin for hire, he'd kill and just laugh it off. He was an excellent swordsman, born and bred for combat. Percy Jackson stood next to Luke.

Percy was a warrior also bred for combat, but he was different from Luke. Percy was clever, and although it would help if he were hardened like Luke, Jupiter found it more useful to have brains that to go around killing everything during a war.

They both had Jupiter's trust, but Percy had a little more, and that was why he was the high general of the entire Roman army, and Luke just had a small section. Both were also on his council as advisors and judges, with Percy's clever wit and Luke's reckless sword, they balanced each other in making an unstoppable team during battles.

Luke stepped forward and spoke into his ear, "shall I kill him, sir?"

Jupiter waved his hand. "No. I want to see what happens."

* * *

Piper was walking back to the catacombs when two Roman soldiers stepped in front of her, stopping her.

They both gave Piper a hardened glare, despite the clear fear they had for her in their eyes. She had insulted their Emperor, a man they had sworn an oath to fight for, and they would stick to that oath. Piper gave them an annoyed look, as she rolled her eyes.

They both had their swords drawn onto her, and one confiscated Katropis from her. Piper's anger rose, but she cooled herself back down, knowing that Katropis would only be going back to the weapons table where she'd pick it up again. There was a stalemate between the two, they had weapons and she didn't, and they were blocking the door. Piper could easily disarm them, but she didn't find much fun in that.

One spoke to her, breaking her from her thoughts, "Who do you think you are that you can just defy the Emperor?"

"Me? I'm just a man with honor."

* * *

**See this? This is where is gets good. **

**So I hope you liked it. The fight scene was a little short, but hey, you can't really do much with it. For those of you that didn't guess, yes the gladiators are also characters from the Percy Jackson series. I was thinking this one as Will Solace. Blonde hair. Golden (sun) armor. Yeah, I couldn't really find anywhere to sneak a name in. **

**Well, you know. The Emperor wouldn't care. Will's in too much pain to introduce himself. I have a few ideas to get the name in there, but they're all illogical, and I've have to go out of my way to get it in there. You're lucky there even was a chapter today. **

**So, Piper finally fought... Yeah, and next chapter will be good as well. See? This _is_ where it gets good. I have lots of questions about Jason, and don't worry, I've got something big planned... It'll happen about Chapter 13-15, I'm still outlining. Sorry for any grammar and spelling errors. **

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	10. Cold Hearts

**Hello to all my lovely readers! I think this update is a little late, or at least it feels a little late to me. Thanks so much! I've officially hit a land mark. 75 REVIEWS! Hello? That's amazing! Thank you guys!**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this one... Fair warning to all...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series—actually you don't know if I do or not. **

**We all know Rick Riordan does... but you don't know who I really am—look, I'm not saying I'm Rick Riordan, I'm just saying no one has ever seen me and Rick Riordan in the same room together...**

* * *

**Piper**

Piper awoke with the feeling of someone's eyes on her the back of her neck.

She quickly turned around, fearing the worst, only to find Beckondorf staring at her. She relaxed, but it was short lived. He was looking at her in a way that he never had before. There was a curiosity in his eyes, but also a certain concentration, as if he were trying to solve a difficult problem. She quickly turned away from him, but couldn't shake the memory of his look.

She started having thoughts. Bad thoughts. What if he was afraid of her? What if he would treat her differently because of her win in the arena a few days ago. What if this? What if that? What if? What if? What if?

These 'what ifs' would be the death of her.

Leo both broke them out of their awkwardness, with a few annoying jokes that they had already been told a thousand times. Leo reused his old material, he didn't have much time to come up with new jokes, nor was he really in the happiest of moods to do so.

As they were ushered to work, this time the three of them getting put together to dig holes, she couldn't help the uneasy feeling in her stomach. At first, she passed it off as hunger from lack of being given breakfast, but she had become familiar with hunger in the past few months and this wasn't hunger.

Uncertainty. Doubt. Skepticism. Distrust. Suspicion.

That was what she was experiencing, a nervous pit of butterflies was forming in her stomach. Butterflies. That was a stupid analogy—not to mention, inaccurate. For Piper, it was more like a swarm of angry killer bees; wrecking her calm state (something she had worked so hard on to achieve). As she dug holes beside her two friends, one 'what if' still remained in the depths of the killer bees, making her the most queasy.

_What if he knew?_

* * *

Lunch was a disaster, and with Piper on the frits, it was worse than it should've been.

During work Piper had met two boys also digging, when she'd saved one of them from falling into his own finished hole. She had introduced them to Beckondorf and Leo, and had also learned their names: Calum and Alexander. They were both also from villages that had been attacked by the Romans, but their villages had already been under the control of Rome.

When the soldiers called for a lunch break—and by lunch break, I mean five minutes to eat a half a piece of moldy bread and drink a small cup of soiled water. When Piper went to receive her share, the Romans looked at her with uncertainty, and gave her, her food, which appeared to be less ruined than the others.

Piper gave her thanks to the gods, by burying a piece of her bread and pouring a bit of her water on it's grave, as she apologized to them that she couldn't burn it for them. Very few of the other prisoners gave offerings to the gods, claiming that they had been forsaken and condemned to death by them. Leo and Beckondorf gave their thanks only because Piper requested them too.

Calum questioned her on this, "Why do you give up part of your meal?"

"To thank the gods."

"For what?"

Piper shrugged. She didn't really have much to be thankful for.

"You only starving yourself further." He told her. "So why give it to the gods, who've condemned you to death?"

"I made my own choices. I've condemned myself." Piper answered.

"Well, if you ask me, they don't deserve the offering. What have you got to thank them for?"

Piper looked him dead in the eye, and spoke in a serious voice, "I'm still alive—and that's plenty to be thankful for."

The conversation stopped for a few minutes, Leo tried to pick it back up, but every time he opened his mouth, he closed it as if deciding against what he was going to say. So they just sat there in silence, trying to pick the non-edible pieces of their bread off.

Alexander became bored, and brought the talking back to life, "So, um, you guys all bunk together?"

"Yeah." Leo answered the question.

"We used to have a third too." Calum interjected. "Old man. Travis MaLane or something."

Piper nearly choked on her bread.

"Pericles, are you all right?" Alexander asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Piper coughed out.

"Yeah, okay." Calum continued. "Anyways, so this guy is chosen for the fights that very same week."

"And he gets Ethan Nakumara" Alexander joined in, laughing with Calum as he did so. "Yeah, what a good soldier Nakumara was."

"He wasn't?" Leo questioned.

"No way." Calum said. "He was the worst one—if the old man hadn't done it, Jupiter would've."

"Done what?" Piper questioned, although she already knew the answer.

"Killed him." Calum said it as casually as he would trading spice garden tips. "The old man did it easily, and I thought that was it, and he was a gladiator. Then Luke came down."

"Luke?" Piper questioned, though the name was familiar.

"Yeah. Sandy blonde hair. Blue eyes. Tannish." Calum drew a line down his face. "Has a scar, right about here."

"That's Luke?" Leo was suddenly incredulous. "They sent Luke after him? Damn. They must really hate him."

"What's so good about this Luke?" Piper asked.

"Luke Castellan is this high and mighty general who thinks he can do whatever he wants." Alex grumbled.

"And he can." Calum added on. "He's best swordsman in the past three hundred yea—"

"Nah." Alex interrupted. "Jackson's the best they got. Luke may be a slightly better swordsman, but Jackon actually uses his head instead of brute force."

"Whatever." Calum continued. "Yeah, so, after he beats Nakamura, Luke comes down into the arena, probably because he's on Jupiter's orders. This guy didn't stand a chance."

"Shut up."

Everyone turned to Piper with a bit of a shocked look on their faces. Piper just couldn't help it. She knew the man they were talking about was her father, and she didn't want to have to re-experience his death by listening to a story about it—especially when the story talked about how helpless he was when he died.

"Why?" Calum looked confused for a moment before returning to his story-telling. "Anyways, the old man never even saw it coming—"

"I said, 'shut up.'" Piper repeated herself.

She started to traced a line straight into the cremated folds of her clay water cup with her finger nail, engraving anger into it. Piper didn't looked away from her water, only staring into the dirty liquid, but she could tell everyone's eyes were on her. She didn't care, she didn't want to hear anymore of it.

"What's wrong with you, today, Pericles?" Calum asked.

"Yeah, Pericles." Alex joined it. "Listen, there's no way the guy could've stopped it. Luke trained with Chiron—gods know wherever he went—and Chiron trained him good. Luke snuck up on him—"

"Please, shut up." Piper was speaking through gritted teeth.

"Pericles, it's fine." Leo spoke, gently. "Let's just pick another subject.

"Why?" Calum asked. "We were just talking about how this guy got completely mauled by Castellan—"

"Just shut up, already!" Piper slammed her water cup down, breaking the clay.

Everyone's eyes were on Piper's bloody hands, cut from the broken shards of her cup. Dirt and bread crumbs were already flying towards the cuts, hoping to infect it. Alex and Calum both looked wildly at Pericles, as were the Roman soldiers. Piper thought for sure that the Romans would whip her for this, but they did not come after her; they just looked at her in fear.

For the first time, Piper realized how deep she was breathed and how angry her face probably looked. She was scary, and she moved her hand away from the broken pieces, and wiped her hand on her tunic. She stood up, and looked to the Romans, who then told everyone that it was time to return.

Piper walked silently at the back of the group separately herself from Leo and Beckondorf. Everyone left quietly that day, no one speaking or asking what had happened, which was a rare occurrence. No one bothered to pick up the shattered clay cup, they just left there, drying in the sun.

It's probably still there to this day—still stained with Piper's dry blood.

* * *

It was that time again.

It was time to stand in the large central room, and wait for your fate to be decided on whether you lived another week or whether you died. Even if you were chosen, your fate still wasn't sealed, though it was close. You still had a small window of escape, it all depended on whether you found it or not.

Today, the Captain was more selective, especially after Piper's fight, "You." He glanced around the group. "You and you. You." Only one more left. "And you."

He pointed to Beckondorf.

Leo's eyes widened as he was about to object, but the Captain saw this and put a threatening hand on his sword. Piper clamped her hand over Leo's mouth, keeping it there until he relaxed. Both Piper and Leo were facing Beckondorf, who had a sad look in his eye—one rather different than the one Piper had seen earlier.

Beckondorf shook hands with Leo, and Piper. As he shook Piper's hand, she felt something shift from his hand to hers. Something thin, and dried; definitely not skin. Piper didn't looked at whatever he had slipped in her hand, only concealed it inside her palm.

"Gentlemen." Beckondorf spoke, forcing emotion to leave his voice. "It's been a pleasure."

Both Piper and Leo bowed their heads to Beckondorf, in respect to him as he proudly walked forward to take his place as a tribute. They were led out into the arena with a loud announcement and the cheering of the audience as they longed for blood, not caring who's it was.

It was the usual, Piper didn't even bother reacting as the first four men were shoved forward and killed. She didn't even feel sorry for the new prisoners as they watched the killings, knowing that they could be next. The only time Piper even paid attention was when Beckondorf stepped forward for his fight.

He chose a long sword, that at one point, looked as thought it could do some serious damage. Piper had been curious to as why no on would use the sword and helmet Piper had claimed for the tributes the previous week. Piper came upon the conclusion, that good sword or useless sword, the tributes figured they were going to die anyways.

Piper watched Beckondorf's fight, counting multiple mistakes on his part. His left side was always open, and he practically held it out for his opponent to stab. It was a miracle that the gladiator didn't. Beckondorf's overgrown hands were clumsy on his sword, and he eventually abandoned it to fight with his hand.

Beckondorf left a few good blows, and dents in the gladiator's armor. Piper could see the wheels turning in his head, and she knew he wasn't stupid. The gladiator swung his sword in a fatal arch, when Beckondorf caught the man's wrist and turned into him. He was copying Piper's movements that had won her own fight, but he wasn't trained like Piper, nor was he as observant.

Beckondorf didn't noticed the concealed knife hidden in the man's sleeve, poking out. The man held it out in front of his chest, and Beckondorf swung himself right into it. Beckondorf collapsed, the knife pulled out of his back, but he wasn't dead yet, just really close.

Beckondorf tried to sit up, but the gladiator put his foot on Beckondorf's chest, holding him still. The gladiator looked up to Emperor Jupiter, who gave his classic thumb-down signal. The gladiator raised him sword, and plunged it into Beckondorf's heart.

Leo almost surged forward to attack the gladiator, but Piper's hand clamped down on his wrist in a tight death hold. Leo was blinking back tears, for the loss of his friend, Piper was too, internally. She refused to cry on the outside. Now she had lost her friend _and_ her father to the arena. It was two deaths too many.

As the gladiator circled around Beckondorf's lifeless body, Piper's grip tightened on Leo's wrist—not to keep Leo from rushing forward, but to keep herself from murdering that gladiator.

* * *

That night, Leo went straight to bed, but Piper knew he wasn't asleep.

Piper pretended she was asleep as well, but not because she didn't want to talk, she was curious. She held the object Beckondorf had given her in her palm, discovering it as a piece of parchment. Unsure of how he even found parchment, let alone ink, she opened the letter.

* * *

_Pericles,_

_Although I haven't known you for but a few short months, I must ask a favor. _

_Tell Leo not to worry, I'll be fine, win or loose. (Trust me, I know, the boy's a mess._

Piper chuckled silently, as she heard Leo sniffling from his sleeping mat. Even from the grave, Beckondorf still had a sense of humor.

_I know what you've been thinking when I speak of my girlfriend, Silena. Sadly, I've heard you speak to some of the other men, about where their wives and daughters have been taken. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach, as I write this letter, that Silena won't last long in a place like that, and if I had a choice between Hercules, Achilles, and you. I'd choose you to find her. _

_And if she's already gone, I'll find her down here. Not even Hades could stop me. _

_I would like to tell you something, that only Silena knows, but I want someone who will live to know. I am a son of Hephaestus. Yes. Demigods exist, but we are few and far between. I have never met another, and I doubt I ever will, but now that you know my secret, I must tell you that I know yours._

* * *

_Dear Piper McLean, _

_Do not worry, I know secrets should be kept. I entrust you with mine, and do not be afraid, no one will ever know yours. I've kept it hidden for weeks, and have even lied to the other men who have grown suspicious. _

_Don't worry about Leo, he is too heavy a sleeper to know that you talk in your sleep. _

_I'm sorry about your father, and perhaps I'll meet him in Hades, and tell him of your greatness. I'm sorry about your village, and perhaps I'll tell some of the your village men that the great Pericles is a woman. _

_Now I must ask you for a real favor. _

_You are the only_ man _here, who could defeat a gladiator, and you must do it. I understand your hatred of violence and killing. I understand that you are honorable in every way, but I want you to understand that killing doesn't shame you and remove your honor. _

_Senseless killing does. _

_I wish I could be alive to see it—to see you, freeing Rome and all those who suffered under the rule of it. I know you will become legendary in whatever you decide. P__rotect Leo. Volunteer in all the fights. I know you can, and in the end, you will be proud you did. _

_Piper, I thank you, and Leo, for your friendship during my living days, and no matter what you decide, I know you for who you are. _

_You are a Pericles. _

_~Charles Beckondorf_

* * *

It only took death for her to learn his given name.

Piper closed the letter, unsure of what else to do when she noticed it was addressed. She hadn't seen that at first. The label was simple, written in his shaky handwriting , yet he didn't address her by her name nor her pseudonym, but by something else.

_To A Man With Honor_

At that moment, Piper had to resist ripping the paper to shreds, and instead she hid it under her sleeping mat and laid against it. As she heard Leo's quiet snores turn louder, she knew he had fallen asleep, and she allowed a fear soft tears of her own to fall for her friend. She had come upon a decision

She was going to do what he'd asked.

She'd kill the emperor, for he'd ordered Beckondorf's death. She'd kill the emperor, for he ordered her father's death. She'd kill the emperor, for he'd ordered the death of thousands. She'd kill the emperor in revenge for all the lives he'd destroyed.

No. Not for that. She wouldn't kill for her own need or the revenge of others.

No. She'd kill the emperor, simply because he had a cold heart.

* * *

**I killed Beckondorf. Ha. ha. Haha. Didn't see that coming did you? I wasn't planning on any demigods, so Beckondorf might be the only one. Piper is most certainly not (for now), and neither is Jason. I think Beckondorf will be the only one. **

**So what'd you think? Let me know**

**Read and Review.**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	11. Perseus the Great

**You guys make me laugh. You guys review all like, OMG I love when you did this! And I'm just all like, "...What'd I write, again?" It's just in one ear and the other. Anyways, thanks so much for 87 reviews! Thanks to all those who read, favorite, follow, and review! Tell all your friends! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

**I only own this plot, which is cool with me. I haven't even got to the good stuff yet, I just getting started.**

* * *

**Piper**

No one spoke that morning.

At least Piper was conscious of her actions. Leo, on the other hand, was just going through the motions. He had already walked into two walls, and bumped into Piper at least four times. Neither of the spoke to the other, with the exception of minor apologies when he mindlessly knocked into her.

Piper refused to acknowledge it, but everyone would stare at the two when they first caught sight of them; many looked at them with pity, while others with jealousy. Their friends and family had already been killed to, so why would Piper and Leo deserve special attention?

Perhaps it wasn't because the two had lost a dear friend, but because they weren't exactly hiding it too well. They were both messy—no not messy. Messy was a term used for an untidy bedroom, or a wrinkled toga. Piper and Leo appeared as though they had just come out of a week-long sandstorm in the Sahara Desert.

Piper's hair was falling out of its cloth tie, and Leo's looked like it had spent double the time in that sandstorm. Their tunics were crooked, and it was obvious neither had slept very well, nor really cared about their appearance. And they really didn't. All that mattered right now was Beckondorf, and he was dead.

The Romans had probably buried him in the hole he dug the day before.

Work that day, was just as bad. Everyone was speaking in quiet whispers, and Piper knew it was about Beckondorf. And that the blame was completely on her shoulders. She was the only person to have ever defeated a gladiator, and defied the emperor by leaving her opponent alive.

It was a wonder she wasn't dead yet.

The emperor was prolonging her life, and Piper was curious as to why, but she didn't question. No, she didn't fear death, but she was all Leo had left, and the boy was already losing it as it was. None of the Romans had placed a hand on her, but Piper wasn't sure it was from fear or from being ordered not to.

But still she didn't question. She just shut up, and dug her hole.

About midday, an hour or so before lunch, someone dropped. Dead. Some people gasped, and moved away, while others ran to help, administering CPR, trying to save the man's life. The Romans eventually shooed everyone away, and dragged the body off, probably to bury it later on when no one was watching. Everyone started talking in hushed whispers again, new gossip had arose.

Piper? Oh, she didn't even move.

* * *

It had been a week since Beckondorf died.

Piper and Leo were still in each other's company, but it was always silent. Neither knew what to say, in fear of the subject of Beckondorf coming up. So, while other prisoners talked to their friends, knowing it could be the last good conversation they had, Piper and Leo refused to look at each other.

When they were taken from their cell, they went without a peep. Leo even went so far as to bump the guard's shoulder, and give him a dirty look. They were both still upset, and depressed through the entire selection process, neither really caring who was picked, until it happened.

"You." The Captain pointed at Leo.

Leo looked shocked for moment, but turned to Piper, offering to shake her hand, as Beckondorf had done to thank her for her friendship. Piper moved to take it, but she looked him in the eye for a split second, and she saw fear. He had seen what happened in that arena, heard the screams of pain from fallen tributes.

He knew his fight would be over in a matter of seconds, and Piper, well, she wasn't willing to loose another friend. She reach for his hand, with an encouraging smile on her face, but it wasn't for him. Just before he was about to take her hand, she shot it up into the air.

"I volunteer!"

"What?!" Leo was suddenly frantic again. "No! Pericles!"

Leo tried to jump forward to take his place, despite that he'd seen Piper beat a gladiator. It was luck the first time, and he knew it, he wasn't going to let his friend get killed for him. The guards looked at Piper nervously, but nevertheless, shoved Leo back and brought her forward.

Piper gave Leo a definite smile, but he just gave her a look of exasperated confusion. It caused her to bite her lip in amusement, so she wouldn't laugh. He had given her the gift of humor and laughter, and that would be enough in the chance that she died.

Slim chance. Yeah. A slim chance.

Piper walked out, following the other tributes. She could feel the emperor's eyes nearly bulge out of his head, when he caught sight of her. The rebel. The rebel was fighting again. As she was used to it, Piper didn't flinch at the other's deaths, although, the tributes were fighting with a bit more hope than they used to. A bit more bravery, and confidence, and that made Piper smile.

When she walked to the ring for her fight, she did it with pride and confidence. A different gladiator walked forward than the one she had fought the previous week, she could tell from his stature that he was stronger. But big and strong equals slow. The fight hadn't even begun, and Piper already had begun a battle plan.

The two slowly moved towards each, Piper light on her feet, while he was heavy on his, trying to intimidate her with his superior strength. Piper had already come up with a disarming combination that would the fight over in a maximum of thirty seconds, when the fight suddenly took a turn.

"Wait!"

* * *

"Wait!"

Jupiter's voice rang out over the entire Colosseum. The two fighters looked up at him curiously, until they got the better of themselves, and stared back at each other in case of a sneak attack. Jupiter chuckled to himself at that, but it was short-lived. Even he knew that this would be a wasted fight, and that the tribute would win, especially from what he saw last week.

Jupiter knew he had been trained. As to where, he wasn't sure. The man walked on the balls of his feet, preventing noise and too much indention in the sandy soil. He gripped a dagger in his right hand, but always kept his left guarded. He was a master in the art, and played it like a game of chess—always a step ahead of his opponent.

The two didn't move from their current positions, awaiting Jupiter's orders, but they still didn't remove their eyes from each other. It was entertaining, yet tantalizing. But Jupiter had an idea to rid him of his troubles, and return to an average day at the Colosseum.

He didn't even turn around as he spoke, "Perseus?"

"Yes, sir?" Perseus answered from behind him, taking a step forward.

"You're an excellent swordsman correct?"

Perseus seemed cautious, and unsure, "Y—yes, sir."

"Prove it."

* * *

Perseus would be the perfect opponent.

He was quick like the tribute was, and he was clever just as the tribute was. Perfectly balance, and perfectly match. With the better equipment, Perseus would win easily. Or at least that's how it went it Jupiter's head, Piper's was quite different. She already had a plan, and adjusted it to her new opponent.

As Perseus came down into the arena, he had already adjusted his armor three times, and had already drawn, and sheathed his sword two times. Piper watched him. He was fidgety, and second-guessed himself until he found the right answer. That could be used to her advantage.

She had her weapon drawn and was ready to fight, but the first thing Perseus did was walk straight to her and offer his hand. She looked at him curiously, still with her dagger pointed him. He moved his hand closer to her, and she jumped back, but he just chuckled.

"All I want to do is shake your hand." Perseus spoke.

Piper moved her hand out in a slow and cautious manner, before she took his and shook it.

"Percy Jackson. It's an honor to fight you."

"Pericles McLean." Piper answered automatically, despite that it wasn't her real name. "And I should be saying that to you."

Percy nodded, "good luck to you."

"And to you."

Percy went to his place about five feet from her, gave her a sad smile and a half-nod, before drawing his sword. Celestial bronze. Deadly. And he had four feet of it. Despite it's size, he held it up with ease, and look quite happy to have it in his hands.

That's one of the many reasons Piper used a dagger. No sword muscles.

The fight began at Jupiter's words, and Percy didn't even move. He stood there, in the same stance Piper was, casually leaning on his sword. He was mocking her. Piper merely crossed her arms, as she'd look stupid leaning against her dagger.

Piper took a step to the left, hoping that it'd provoke him and he'd attack her. It didn't work. He simply took a step to the right, following her. She took another step to the left, and he took another step to the right. She took a step forward, and so did he.

No. He wasn't mocking her. He was mirroring her.

Which was basically the same thing.

Piper glowered at him, with anger, and came running at him, unknowing that it was what he wanted. Percy quickly sidestepped, and allowed her tumble past him, only frustrating her more. Chiron's teachings left her head, and she went rogue, forgetting one of his most important rules.

_Patience is key._

Piper's patience with herself was gone. She was no longer using her brain, instead she was simply trying to overtake him with brute force. He had managed to drive her away from everything she'd ever learned in all of thirty seconds. Piper remembered the conversation from the previous week, with Calum and Alexander.

_ "Jackson's the best they got. Luke may be a slightly better swordsman, but Jackon actually uses his head instead of brute force."_

Somewhere deep inside Piper, her common sense was screaming at her to calm herself, but Piper refused to listen—and remembering the conversation didn't benefit her much. Beckondorf was alive and sitting beside her during that talk; it only angered her more. Beckondorf was killed by Romans and this man was a Roman.

While Piper may have gone off the edge, her muscle memory came to her aid. Each strike Percy used against her, her body automatically countered as if it knew she wasn't thinking straight and had taken over. They both separated for a minute, both breathing hard.

Percy was looking at her with wild, yet curiously confused eyes, as if she was the only opponent he'd ever faced who had lasted this long. Piper wiped a few drops of sweat with that back of her hand, and, for the first time, noticed how quick and heavy her breath was.

She calmed her breath, realizing she had quickened it herself, and blinked a few times as if coming out of a daze. She glanced at Percy, and the dagger in her hand. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, and released it through her mouth.

Everything slowed down.

She saw Percy running at her, but his body was barely moving any distance. His strikes came slower, allowing Piper to counter properly. Quick and clever. She was listening to her mind again. She caught his sword wrist in her hand, and twisted under his arm to be behind him before releasing her grip on him.

He tried turning around to find her again, but she moved with him, not allowing him to catch her. He spun around quickly, swinging his sword in a full arch to behind her. She merely ducked and moved to his backside once more. But Percy was nearly as smart as she was.

His next strike, he swung full back as if to split Piper in two, but Piper's world was in slow-motion. She saw it coming, and rolled out of the way, long before he could even graze her. The attempted blow was done with such power, Percy couldn't stop it, slicing through his own armor.

He looked at Piper in amazement, as he dislodged his sword from his back. He came running at her again, and she matched his speed, her world returning to it's normal pace. He pointed his sword directly at her, as if to run it through her. Piper knocked it aside with her dagger, though it did not leave his palm.

She practically scaled up his body, until her ankles were wrapped securely around his neck. They were opposite to each other. Piper was in a handstand, with only one hand supporting her, while the other held her dagger. Percy had dropped his sword in was clawing at her legs, trying to remove her choke hold from his throat.

Using momentum and gravity to her advantage, Piper swung herself through Percy's legs. Her grip on his neck caused him to follow her. They flipped in a wheel-like manner, and landed with Piper sitting against his shoulders, preventing his arms from moving. Her left hand was pulling up on his chin, so her right hand could place her dagger beneath his neck.

They stayed like that a moment, until Piper got up off his shoulders, removing his helmet in the process. Percy rolled over just in time to watch her pick up his precious sword by the hilt and drag it past him, leaving a trail in the dirt. She walked over to the tribute's weapon table, and stabbed it into the ground, hanging his helmet on the hilt.

Another opponent defeated.

She placed her weapon on the table, and stood in front of all the tributes, where the emperor, all those in attendance, and the gods on Olympus could see her. She held up her thumb high above her head, directing it at the man who had done it so many times, himself, and turned it over once more.

Her second win, and she still hadn't killed.

* * *

The Romans kept their distance from Piper as they escorted her and Leo back to their cell.

"So, how was that?"

"Five minutes." Leo said, cheekily.

"New record."

"Hell yeah!" Leo slapped her back in congratulations.

When they made it back to their cell, the Romans locked it quickly, relaxed their tense shoulders, and hurried off away from Piper. Piper smiled at that. They were definitely afraid of her now; they'd just seen her defeat their high general in a few minutes—if it was her, she'd be scared of herself.

Leo was still psyched up as he sat down on his sleeping mat, "gods, Pericles. I _still _don't know how you do that, but thanks."

"You're welcome."

"You know, Pericles, you've fought twice, won both and never killed anyone."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, you're really making a statement—you know? _We don't want to kill anyone, but we don't want to be killed ourselves._ You're fighting against the emperor, disobeying the power."

"Where are you gong with this, Leo?"

"All I'm saying is that you just defeated Perseus the Great, and he's one of the best swordsman in the past two hundred years. You're really giving people hope, just by being you; just by being a man with honor."

_Man. _

The word rang in Piper's head as she leaned against Beckondorf's wall. She could almost hear him whispering to her, feeling his presence by that wall. She hoped he'd give her strength, as she took a deep breath. His scent was on that wall, and it's probably be there for a while, seeing as how it was where he always was.

She took another deep breath, as she moved towards her sleeping mat. She reached under it, and felt around for something very important to her. When she stood back up, she saw that Leo had turned away and was already lying down on his sleeping mat. She still had a chance to leave her secret there, and act as though she'd had never lied to him, and—no. Now was the time.

"Leo?"

"Hmm?" He turned to her.

"I want you to read this."

Leo took a folded piece of parchment from her, and looked at the addressing on it.

_To A Man With Honor._

* * *

**Dun. Dun. Dun. Duuunnnnn. **

**Is Leo going to find out? Will Piper take the note back? Will he even believe her? Will he be angry she kept Beckondorf's final words from him? **

**I've left you on a huge cliffhanger, ohhhh, I'm getting good. So? Enjoy the Percy/Piper fight? It was pretty long fight. Yeah. Five minutes. LOL**

**Anyways. Read and Review!**

* * *

**Never ever stop being such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	12. A Woman With Honor

**Hey guys, sorry for not updating earlier this week, but school's about to start and you gotta get stuff done. Speaking of school, I may not be able to update as often I did this Summer, because of homework and afterschool activities. If I do update every week, expect it on either Wednesdays, Saturdays, or Sundays, because I assume those will be my less busy days. **

**On a happier note. 100 REVIEWS! That's a landmark! Thank you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**And I have nothing amusing to say. I'm running low on ideas.**

* * *

**_Previously on _****_Roman_**

_Dear Piper McLean, _

_Do not worry, I know secrets should be kept. I entrust you with mine, and do not be afraid, no one will ever know yours. I've kept it hidden for weeks, and have even lied to the other men who have grown suspicious. _

_Don't worry about Leo, he is too heavy a sleeper to know that you talk in your sleep. _

_I'm sorry about your father, and perhaps I'll meet him in Hades, and tell him of your greatness. I'm sorry about your village, and perhaps I'll tell some of the your village men that the great Pericles is a woman. _

_Now I must ask you for a real favor. _

_You are the only_ man _here, who could defeat a gladiator, and you must do it. I understand your hatred of violence and killing. I understand that you are honorable in every way, but I want you to understand that killing doesn't shame you and remove your honor. _

_Senseless killing does. _

_I wish I could be alive to see it—to see you, freeing Rome and all those who suffered under the rule of it. I know you will become legendary in whatever you decide. Protect Leo. Volunteer in all the fights. I know you can, and in the end, you will be proud you did. _

_Piper, I thank you, and Leo, for your friendship during my living days, and no matter what you decide, I know you for who you are. _

_You are a Pericles. _

_~Charles Beckondorf_

* * *

**Piper**

Leo was usually a man of many words, no matter how pointless they were, but he was speechless as he read the note.

Piper stared at him nervously, as his eyes moved back and forth, taking in the words on the paper. He didn't speak, only keeping his eyes on the letter. His face didn't show an expression of any kind making it unclear whether he was angry at her for keeping Beckondorf's last words from him, or surprised that she wasn't a man.

When he finally looked at her, Piper wasn't sure to be overjoyed or saddened. His face was blank of everything, as an indecisive look took place. She could see a million thoughts running through his eyes all at once, but each one had less than a moment before it was replaced by another. She thought he had gone mute from shock, until he finally spoke.

"You're a—"

Her voice has gone back to it's higher pitch, "please don't freak out," She held up her arms in a defensive position, whispering her words, afraid that the guards might here a female voice.

It was weird to hear her own voice. Her tone. Her pitch. It was unfamiliar. It had been months since she had heard herself speak, and it felt awkward on her own ears and tongue. It may have been strange, but it was refreshing to speak normally again. It even surprised her that her voice hadn't deepened it the long period of time she had spoken as a man.

Even though he was obviously panicking, Leo denied it, "I'm not freaking out," his voice was shaky and an octave higher as he tried to force calmness into it. "My best friend is actually a girl; I'm not at all disturbed by this—exactly how long have you been a girl?" Piper raised an eyebrow and Leo realized his mistake, "I mean, how long have you been playing a man? I mean—can you just say something so I'll stop talking?" Leo sighed.

"Sure." One word. That helped.

Leo rubbed the back of his neck, "gods, your voice is so weird."

"How is it weird?"

"Well, I'm used to it being all gravelly and deep—so, this is new."

"Um. Sorry?"

"No. It's good."

"What?" Piper looked at him incredulously and Leo blushed.

"Oh no—no, not your voice." He laughed nervously. "I find the whole thing absolutely hilarious."

Piper crossed her arms, unsure if she should be offended by that, "how?"

Leo grinned mischievously. "Some of the best warriors in Rome got their asses handed to them by a woman."

Piper laughed with him, "you always find the upside."

They were both silent for a moment, but it was a healthy silent. Leo was still getting used to the simple fact that Piper was female, and strange questions were popping into his head—some he wouldn't prefer to voice. Piper was smiling to herself, relieved that Leo hadn't completely shunned her.

"So. Piper?" The name felt foreign on his tongue. "How did you get mixed up in all this?"

Piper sighed, returning to the memory of her father, "I didn't come here to beat up the gladiators if that's what you mean..." She trailed off.

"No, no." He assured her, quickly. "I just want to know what happened."

"Well." She paused. "It's too long of a story."

He casually leaned against the cell bars, "I doubt I'm going anywhere, anytime soon."

She blew out a heavy breath through her nose, "It all started the day my village was attacked..."

And so she told the entire story. She refused to look at him as she told the story of her village burning and her father being taken captive. She snuck a glance at his expression as she described her father's whipping at the prisoner's camp, knowing he had experienced something similar. It was a neutral expression, as for the first time, Piper saw Leo deep in serious thoughts.

She focused on her feet as she told of how she planned to rescue her father and the other men of her village, and how she was foolish enough to believe it would happen. She spoke of how she planned to rob a man of weapons and clothing, but he was wiser than she thought and had gifted her with the items she needed, as well as training. Leo lips pursed as he nodded, showing he understood how she could fight so well.

His face changed momentarily as he learned she had all of her training in one day, but it returned to it's vacant stare in a matter of moments. She wouldn't look at him as she relived the tale of her father's fight and death, she didn't want to see his sympathetic face. And if he was still emotionless. Well. She didn't want to see that either.

She wove stories of her fear when the soldiers had joked with death, despite Leo living that with her. She told him of how she feared his death when he suddenly came back with a bloody backside. Leo's hand immediately went to the back collar of his tunic, slightly dipping his hand down it to feel the whipping scars. She told him of how she stole the medicine from the market, even telling him of how she saw the prince with two girl.

Leo chuckled slightly at that, but soon quieted himself so she could continue without interruption. She didn't notice because she wasn't looking, but he would reveal a slight smile every so often when he connected a past event with the fact that she was a girl. Slight voice changes, and spoken words hinted that she wasn't a man, and he laughed at himself for not realizing it.

When she told the story of her first fight, he nodded and agreed with everything she said, remembering the fight himself and how shocked he had been when she revealed how well she could fight. She couldn't describe the emotions she felt as she removed the gladiator's helmet and took his sword, claiming it for the tributes. And she wouldn't describe it doing it the second time. She told him about when Beckondorf slipped her the note, and his request to her.

When she finished, it was obvious. He didn't find the whole thing absolutely hilarious anymore.

After a few minutes of silence, Leo spoke, "Would you do it?"

She looked up at him, "do what?"

"Kill Jupiter, and anyone that gets in your way?"

"I don't know, Leo." She answered, honestly. "Maybe when the time comes, I'll be able to do it, but I'm still unsure and uncomfortable with it."

It was the truth, and the truth was silencing. Honesty, when it was an awful truth, wasn't always a good thing. Leo wouldn't speak out of the sheer emotion and fear behind Piper's words. Piper, on the other hand, kept quiet because she was deep in thought. It hadn't occurred to her until now.

Would she be able to do it? Would she be able to kill Jupiter?

He was a despicable man, and deserved it, but that was nothing. To look in the eyes of a dying man would be a haunting memory—a memory that Piper might not be able to live with. That being said, would she be able to complete the job, or would she fall before she reached the finish line?

"So..." Leo broke the silence. "One day?"

"Huh?"

"You were trained in _one _day?"

"Yeah." Piper chuckled. "Many warriors don't understand true battle; a good soldier uses their common sense and wit. It's not about who's the most skilled or the strongest—it's about who can think up something faster, and I've gotten pretty good at it."

"Will you teach me?"

That caught Piper off guard, "teach you what?"

"How to fight." Leo clarified.

"Leo, no offense, but I think you'd do better with just hitting people with a mallet."

Leo pursed his lips. Piper's advanced senses and deductive reasoning told her that he agreed, but he didn't like it. "Still." He persisted.

"Maybe Leo—I don't know—if we ever get out of here."

Leo, dissatisfied, nodded his agreement, but what choice did he have?

* * *

The Roman soldiers didn't bother Piper as she worked anymore.

They didn't bother anyone in her group either. They merely kept their distance from her, but they still didn't hesitate to acknowledge the fact that they were armed and she wasn't—they also accepted the fact that a few quick movements could change that. They were terrified of her, and if someone wanted a break, all it took was a death glare from Piper to make it happen.

The Captain didn't visit their workplace as often as he used too, and that made the Romans a little antsy. They always had one eye kept on Piper, never approaching her though, in fear of provoking her. They always eventually gave her the rest of the day off, though Piper only assumed it was because they didn't want her near a shovel.

They gave her hardened stares as if they hated how much fear she placed in them; as if they disliked that she'd embarrassed their emperor (twice) and their high general—and they probably did. But along with their fear, they were just as curious. She heard them murmur to each other, occasionally hearing her name. They probably wanted to know about her, and where she received her training.

When work was finished, and they were taken back to the catacombs, Piper and the other prisoners were happy. Not only did they have a day of easy work, but it was mealtime. The food had become slightly less inedible, and everyone attributed it to the fear the Romans had of the great Pericles. Piper merely gave credit to the Captain actually getting up off his lazy rear to get them real food.

Everyone ate as a group in the main corridor. They sat in separate groups, depending on who knew each other—and many times, if they could stand each other's presence. Piper and Leo sat separated from the group, but it wasn't like it was their choice. Everyone had given Piper a five-foot radius to eat, as if they were just as afraid of offending her as the Romans.

Leo took it as a blessing to lie down while he ate, despite Piper's constant warnings that he could choke. It was like the two of them had their own little world to be best friends while they still could—and he truly was her best friend. Well, her only friend, and that made him the best. He would tell her jokes and she would laugh, escaping from the hell of Rome.

In that little corner, for the first time in Piper's world of darkness, a little bit of light found it's way inside.

* * *

**Jason**

Prince Jason was not the most patient of people.

He was hurriedly walking through the halls of the palace of Rome. Any normal person would've stopped and stared at the grand tapestries and elegant art placed about the hall on pedestals and mounts on the walls, but Jason didn't care for them anymore.

They were etched in his memory from his lonely days of roaming about the castle when he was bored. If you asked him, he could locate any painting, any tapestry, any sculpture, any piece of pottery inside the castle. He knew each by memory, and could describe any of them at a moment's notice. It was a useless talent, but one his possessed none the lest.

He had been called to his father's throne room only a few minutes before the current time. It must have been urgent as the servant who had retrieved him had fresh bruises and was in a fearful panic. He'd been sure to rush, but he had been on the other side of the palace, and was practically jogging to get there in a shorter amount of time.

He burst into the throne room with such a power of kinetic energy, that the large doors ricocheted off the walls. His father was seated upon his throne, with his eyebrows furrowed and his fingers intercrossed to offer support beneath his head as he leaned on his elbows. It wasn't a position he often saw his father in, letting Jason know immediately something was wrong.

"You called for me, father?" Jason knelt before Jupiter.

"Yes. Rise, Jason."

Jason stood at the wish of the emperor.

Jupiter also stood from his throne, "I am sure you are aware of the horrid man who defies me at the Colosseum?" He turned to his right to pace in a governmental official way.

"Yes." Jason answered, though he was positive his father knew that answer. "I was there when he defeated that gladiator, and Percy."

"Yes," Jupiter slurred his words like a snake, as he inspected an obedient, unmoving, Jason, "most misfortunate, but I have another plan."

"What?" Jason asked.

Jupiter was behind him now, for Jason could feel the feeling of coldness drape over him, "you." His father whispered into his ear.

"What?!" Jason was suddenly pulled from his neutralized state, regaining it a few seconds later.

"You're going to fight him."

"I can't beat him! He's defeated Perseus!" Jason argued, trying to remain calm.

"You will fight him." Jupiter kept his calmness intact, folding his arms behind his back in a regal manner as he walked to leave his throne room.

"But—"

"Jason!" Jupiter snapped at him. "Do not object to your emperor!"

"Father," Jason changed position, spreading his hands in a desperate matter, despite his father being turned away, "are you blind? This is what he's waiting for—to kill a person of royal power! He will murder me!"

"Do not taunt me, Jason."

"Father!" Jason moved slightly towards his father. "Am I your son?" Jupiter stopped in his tracks. "Or just another pawn to kill?"

Jupiter moved towards his son, putting an arm around his shoulders, but not in a fatherly way as he whispered into his ear, "You'll beat him, because it's in his nature—he wouldn't dare to kill anyone."

And with that, Jupiter left his son in the empty loneliness of the throne room.

* * *

**So? Piper vs. Jason? Did you see that coming? We're getting to the good stuff now. Anyways, read and review, I'm hoping to get to 115-120 reviews on this one. **

**Thank you, guys!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	13. To The Death

**127 Reviews? You guys did it in a week (well, actually two days, I'm just lazy), but you get your update! So Piper vs. Jason? Yeah! It's gonna be good! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**Nope. No. Nothing. Nada. Pas. Non. Nulla.**

* * *

**Piper**

Piper felt nothing.

And that felt strange. It was as if that everything that had happened to her had hardened her emotions to where even death could not distress her—and in her case, death didn't take more than a five-minute break. It was always claiming people for the underworld, and Piper didn't bother turning her head to see the fallen anymore (though death by starvation was better than being stabbed).

As she stared straight ahead, she noticed the eyes of multiple soldiers fall upon her. She turned her head sharply and they'd look away, but not before she saw small smirks on their faces. She'd return to her previous position—chin held high, eyes blank, and arms stiff by her side—then Piper noticed something.

The Romans were standing exactly the same.

She was becoming just like then, a soldier molded for a war without weakness. Sometimes that was good, and sometimes that was bad. At that moment in time, Piper couldn't decide which. Her mind told her cross her arms and slouch to defy what they were teaching her, but her body wouldn't Her body wanted order and strength amongst the others, as if at any moment, she could quickly break position and slice someone's head off.

And she'd feel nothing for doing it.

In a way, it was like the Romans had won. Yes, Piper was still all for denying them, but she couldn't help but adapt Roman pride and discipline. It was like she had taken their ways, and then kicked them aside. And she didn't feel anything for doing that either.

As the Captain scoured his eyes through the flanks of prisoners, deciding who's judgment day it would be, he completely skipped over Piper. Of course he wouldn't choose her. He didn't want anymore embarrassment to Rome, but Piper would just volunteer and he had to respect the set rules.

He lingered particularly on the youngest and the weakest. Easy kills. Good entertainment. That was the qualifications to being a tribute. Ever since Piper, who looked so weak and easy, had surprised everyone with dominant fighting skills, the Captain had been a little more choosy with his selections. He looked for those who had open wounds, and those who possessed only skin and bone.

Just as he was about to choose his first victim, a man in a runner's tunic burst into the room with the two guards protecting the door hot on his heels. The Captain glared at the two men for not adequately protecting his catacombs. The man was quick, and easily dodged the soldiers. Piper, who had a higher IQ, knew that the man was a _runner—_a person who delivered important messages on foot.

When he was finally stopped by a blockade of soldiers in his path, and slowly dragged away, he screamed out.

"A message!" He yelled, holding up a piece of parchment, but the guards continued to drag him out. "From the emperor!" The guards immediately dropped him, bowing their heads respectfully.

The man walked up to the Captain, handing him the message. The Captain poured over in, and with Piper's advanced senses, she could see that he had read it three times over before he finally looked up from it. A mixture of shock and fear was upon his face. Then. He locked eyes on Piper.

Piper's heart started beating, as everyone's eyes began going towards her. A centurion grabbed the paper from the Captain and read it over himself, and his eyes, also went to Piper in shock and fear. It was one of the scariest moments in Piper's life; the only _real _time her life had been in danger.

What if they figure it out? What if they knew she wasn't a boy?

The Captain came out of his daze and narrowed his eyes at Piper. Piper swallowed nervously, hoping that no one had noticed. It was silent. Everyone was waiting for the Captain's orders, and although no one knew what was on the letter, they knew it had to do with Piper. He wouldn't take his eyes from her, and raising his right hand, he snapped his fingers twice and pointed at her. Two soldiers rushed her, and seized her arms.

Oh yeah. She was definitely exposed.

"Hey!" She shouted, still in her deep voice, hoping it'd change their minds about her gender.

"Pi—Pericles!" Leo's almost slip had cost her much.

Their grips were tight on her arms, but she could use that to her advantage. She stomped on the foot of the soldier on her left, and brought her foot up by bending her knee, hitting his groin with her heel. He doubled over, and laid in a ball on the floor. Piper thought about doing the same to the other man, but he grabbed her free wrist before she could think.

Big mistake.

Piper jumped up and wrapped her feet around the backs of his knees. She pushed forward with her feet, causing his knees to buckle and for him to tumble over her. They rolled, and landed with Piper's feet banishing movement in his legs, resting in front of him with her own knees and palms supporting her. The Captain a good view of them, and with a quick smirk to him, Piper, using as much momentum as she could muster, rolled her entire body on the floor to the left.

There was a snap, and both of the guard's legs were broken, and he was howling in pain. Two more guards ran, unwillingly, at her to grab her, while another dragged the soldier off to safety on the sidelines. The prisoners were in a mix of emotions. They weren't sure whether to cheer her, or to remain quiet.

One grabbed her from behind, locking her elbows, while one took to the front to throw punches at her. He never landed a single one. Just as he was throwing the punch, Piper rolled herself up and over her captor's shoulder, allowing him to take the blow. Both in surprise, Piper took advantage of the moment to sidekick the backside of her previous captor, causing him to fall onto his friend. They both went down on the stone, hitting their heads, forced into unconsciousness.

Then the guards went with a different approach. Six of them jumped her. Literally, jumped her. They hurled their bodies at her thin figure, crushing her beneath their weight. They flattened her to her stomach, and stayed on her, preventing movement of any kind. That nearly included breathing, she could barely suck in oxygen with their smelly rears in her face and on her back.

"Bring him forward." The Captain ordered.

Him? Piper breathed quietly in relief.

The guards forced her to her feet, keeping her wrists shackled with their giant meaty man-hands. They carried her the ten feet to the captain, keeping her legs together as well. Piper stared menacingly at the Captain, angry that he had given her such a scare.

"You're in luck, _graecus," _he spat out the word as if it were a sin for him to even know it, "you've been invited to fight."

"But, sir," one of her soldiers, interrupted, "that's never happened before."

"Well, it seems that you've stirred quite an interest in the emperor." The Captain smiled, coldly.

As Piper was being escorted out to the arena, a Centurion spoke to the Captain, "Has the emperor lost it?"

The Captain looked back to his own defeated soldiers. Four of them. He took down four of them in the span of four minutes, and it took six soldiers _sitting _on him to stop him. He could've taken them all out. The Captain knew that, and his fear of the boy grew. Multiple bruises, broken legs, and pure pain were waiting for his opponent.

"Definitely. Prince Jason doesn't stand a chance."

* * *

Piper walked out with the other four tributes behind her.

They had pushed her forward first, even though is had been requested that she'd fight last. When the entered the arena the first thing Piper noticed was that there were only four gladiators waiting on the opposite side of the ring. It confused her, perhaps one would be fighting twice. Or maybe it was some sick plot from the emperor to have her fight all four of them.

Oh well. Get a few more guys. Then it'd be a fair fight.

Although she refused acknowledge it, she could feel the eyes of her fellow tributes on her like they were analyzing her every movement. It was as though if they stared at her long and hard enough, they could magically learn from her and gain her skills to survive their own fights.

But they didn't. Dead. All four of them. It didn't even take five minutes.

When each gladiator was done with their fight, and had gloated a bit, they returned to their own catacombs through the large gate which they had entered. This left Piper with no opponent. She had already retrieved Katropis from the weapons table and held it tight in her hand, afraid of a sneak attack.

But it wasn't exactly sneaky, the way her opponent entered the ring.

The crowd roared as a curtained purple palanquin with gold trim was carried in on the shoulders of lowly shirtless slaves. It was grand and beautifully crafted with the classic Roman eagle decorating every inch of it, and Piper couldn't have hated it more. As she looked to it's bearers she felt sick; each man had the markings of a whip, and the scars of the sword. They had bodies of malnutrition, and bones were visible courtesy of the little clothing they had been allowed.

Piper seized another rusted dagger from the table, and without thinking, threw it at the palanquin. She wasn't talented in knife-throwing, but it stuck in the left-front supporter, and the bearer closest to it dropped his hold on the pole as if he thought the dagger was meant for him. That side of the palanquin tumbled, nearly crushing the man. At the fall, her opponent stuck his head outside the palanquin, and noticed the dagger.

For a split second, his eyes shone with fear as he glanced upon her. Then he turned his head to the emperor's box, where even Piper could see Jupiter sitting, emotionless. Then he turned his head back to her, and Piper began to analyze him. He exited the palanquin, glanced down at the fallen slave, and snapped his fingers. The palanquin was dragged off, with the slave in tow.

A voice rang out over the crowd, "and now presenting your gladiator, Prince Jason!"

The crowd roared for him, probably because they'd be executed if they didn't. He didn't gloat like all the other gladiators would've, he just stood there, disinterested. When he turned his head toward her, she got a good long look at him. He cocked his head to the side as if he didn't care that he was about to risk his life—not that Piper cared either, she didn't have much left.

His helmet hung loosely from his fingertips, another sign of boredom in the whole thing. Sweat glistened on his forehead in the summer heat, and he ran a hand through his blonde hair in an attempt to cool down, making Piper swallow before she found the better of herself. The sun hit him at just the right angle, making the blonde appear golden.

His eyes. She had to squint to see their color. Blue. Piper liked blue.

Then she almost ran Katropis through herself. She was about to fight this man—who thought _she_ was a man—in an arena where they were supposed to kill each other. Not to mentioned, he was the _prince; _the son of the emperor with whom she was practically mortal enemies. He stared hard at her, but Piper didn't care; she simply sent him a smirk, and just watched the confusion in his eyes.

She walked to the center of the arena, and he walked to meet her. When they reached each other, they glowered at the other, knowing that one had to die. No words were spoken, as Piper gave him scoff mixed with a slight chuckle. She strode to the left, his eyes followed her, but he didn't reach for his sword. When she was about five feet from her, she raised Katropis, and his hand settled on the hilt of his sword.

She raised a sarcastic eyebrow at him, and gave him a humored expression. She dug Katropis in the dirt, and slid it back to the prince, and five feet to his right. The audience was silent, with the occasional curious whisper. She walked back to him, Katropis no longer touching the ground. A shaky line was drawn between them.

Piper looked at him earnestly, wanting her message to be clear. She pointed to the line, then she gestured to him, his sword, his shield, and his armor. Then, she gestured to her knife. Her mouth formed a near smile, but it was suppressed, almost unnoticeable. She knew he understood, but due to his lack of action, she voiced it anyways.

"I know you're man enough to cross this line, but how honorable are you to fight a fair battle?"

Apparently he wasn't.

He drew his sword, and took a swipe at her, but Piper had been expecting it. She easily blocked it with Katropis, he gave her a look of surprise, and she took the change to elbow his jaw. She circle her dagger, and his sword, causing his arm into an uncomfortable position, but he still wouldn't drop his sword. Due to her lighter weight, he easily broke the hold, and threw her over his shoulder.

Piper tucked and rolled, sliding a few feet after she landed from his sheer momentum, before slowing in a semi-crouched position. The crowd went wild; Piper glared at him, partially because he had gotten the better of her, and tightened her grip on Katropis. She moved slowly towards him, as if she were a tiger preparing to pounce on her prey. He took a fighting stance, ready to meet her when she struck.

But she stayed a safe five feet from him, and they began to circle each other. Piper didn't want to, but she had get inside his head, and make him crack. He had years of proper training, and how much did she have? Oh, that's right. One day. She may be smarter than he is, but sometimes skill and experience can overcome that. She had to dig deep into him, and make it personal; it may have been a gamble, but she had an idea.

Piper chuckled, voicing her words so only the two of them could hear, "so, you think you can do what your friend, Perseus, couldn't?"

It was definite risk. She didn't even know if they were friends, or even acquaintances, or even if they could stand each others presence. She had spoken with Percy before their fight, and he seemed more honorable than anybody she had ever met, while Jason seemed like spoiled prince who was only fighting her to please his father.

Jason's eyes flared, and she knew she had struck a nerve, "yes, I can."

"Well, you can't," Piper let an amused smile show, "and you want to know why?"

He narrowed his eyes, "why?"

"Because Perseus," and this was the truth, "was always _better _than you."

And that killed it. Jason sheathed his sword, and pulled his spear from it's holster on his back. He charged her, as if to run right through her. She threw Katropis high in the air, timing it perfectly, she snapped the spear in half with a simple move of her wrists, as if cutting through butter.

Jason paused in surprise, while Piper caught her dagger in a graceful arch, cutting him at the edge of him collarbone where his armor separated; she finished the maneuver with Katropis at his neck. Another lesson from Chiron: _draw a line of doubt amongst your enemies. _

"See?" She whispered to him.

In a quick fluid motion, Jason drew his sword, hitting her stomach with the butt of the hilt in the process causing her to double over in pain and shock. He hit her in the small of her back, a very weak point, with the hilt as he had before, making her collapse against the dirt completely. The crowd gasped in shock, loving the entire show. She slowly started to rise, putting her weight on her hands, but he crushed her back down with his boot on her back, keeping her still.

His words were loud, lacking her sense of class, "Surrender, and I'll kill you quickly." The crowd roared at this; he was showing off for them.

"Never."

She roll her body, taking out his legs, keeping Katropis flat to not cut herself. He fell next to her, and Piper kicked up, a sort of ripple causing through her body as she landed back on her feet, not even using her hands for the extra support. She placed a knee on his chest, putting her dagger under his chin.

"Word to the wise," she spoke, "always keep your sword on your opponent."

Jason swiped her knee, causing her to fall next to him, removing her weapon from his neck. He scrambled to put his knee on her to keep her down. Piper thanked the gods above that he put it on her stomach, nowhere near her breasts.

"Word to the wise," he mocked her, "never fight an opponent stronger than you."

She smirked, "word to the wise, never fight an opponent _smarter_ than you."

She scooped up a handful of sand and threw it into his eyes. He tumbled off her, grabbing at his eyes in a panicked spasm. She easily disarmed him of his sword, and the secret knife up his left sleeve and that one on his ankle. She pushed him down, placed her knee on him once more, with her dagger pressed hard against his neck—if she had pressed any harder, she would've drawn blood.

He looked at her with watery eyes, "you cheated."

She looked to his armor, and array of weapons, "yeah, but you cheated first."

She slammed the side of his helmet with her dagger hilt, causing it to ricochet off his skull, and he went limp into unconsciousness. She pulled the helmet off his head, seeing a trail of blood from his temple, and for some reason: it felt good, like she was finally releasing her locked up emotions. He was still breathing, which eased her worries that the blow had actually seriously hurt him.

She grabbed his sword—the prince's sword—and added it to her collection near the tribute's table. Now she had three victories—two of which belonged to people of high power. She looked to Jupiter, who seemed to furious with her and then to Jason sword and helmet. Jupiter. Sword. Jupiter. Sword. He was beginning to get her message.

For the third time, she held up her thumb directed at him, and turned it over. Jupiter seemed to relax just a little bit, probably relieved that his son was still alive. For a moment, they stared at each other, making eye contact despite the large distance between them. Piper could see the hate in his eyes, and he could see the growing arrogance in hers.

She broke contact between, placing her weapon back on the table, and walked back to the group. Leo hugged her, and she returned the hug. He spoke a not-so-funny joke, but she laughed anyways. He high-fived her, and told her that it was amazing how she did all that. She smiled at him as they began to walk back into the catacombs, best of friends.

As for Jupiter? Oh yes, he saw this. He smiled cynically at this.

* * *

**Jason**

Jason awoke in a room he recognized from his youth.

The palace infirmary. He spent much time in here when he was younger, when he would be injured in battle training. His instructor, Lupa, had always growled wolfishly at him when he took injury breaks, claiming that pain was just weakness leaving the body.

Well, weakness hurt.

His head was killing him, as it pounded with extreme "weakness." There were a few nurses gather around him, who breathed in relief the moment he woke up. One took a cool cloth and placed it against his forehead, which soothed his headache just a bit. He attempted to sit up, only to have pain hit near his shoulder. He noticed that his chest was bare against the cool cloth, and that his collarbone had been dressed as though it was wounded.

Then he remembered. The fight. The arrogant words spoken between the two, and in the end, his opponent had won. Anger surged through Jason, as he was one to hole grudges, but this grudge was not just for the man who had defeated him in battle, it was for the man who had forced Jason into it. His father.

"Now. Now. Don't crowd the boy." Said man, strode smoothly into the room, shooing the nurses away.

Realizing that the younger maids had been staring at his muscled chest, Jason ripped the sheets up to hide himself with his uninjured side, but it still stung a bit. Instead of being embarrassed, the girls giggled and waved to him before skipping away.

There was silence between the two as Jason glared at his father. The emperor look at Jason's wounded shoulder, as well as the deep purple-blue bruise on his temple, yet he didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt. Jason narrowed his eyes, accusingly at his father, but Jupiter merely gave him a half-smile and a chuckle.

"See? I told you he wouldn't kill you."

* * *

**So? Nearly 4,000 words of awesomeness. I did give a little Jasper there, but remember Jason still thinks Piper is a man, and Piper hates his royal butt. And the plot thickens... I hope it made up for the not updating when I should've, but school started and I already have a lot of homework (BTW: I'm not doing it for you guys. You're welcome). But I have to keep my grades up, or I cut myself off from fanfiction. *tear*. So hope you guys understand! **

**Read and Review!**

**I'll try to update as soon as I can. (Get ready for a Star Trek reference)**

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**Live long and prosper, my Awesome Possums! :oD **


	14. Just Death in General

**Hey guys, thanks for 147 reviews! In a week! Sorry about not updating during the weekend like I should've, anyways, hope you guys enjoy the update!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**On a happier note, this is now my most successful stories. It's beating my Tratie story, which currently has 132. Let's keep it up!**

* * *

**Piper**

The audience members cupped their hands around their mouths to cheer louder for Piper as she raised her hands high in triumph.

Another gladiator laid defeated at her feet, breath shakily being taken into his lungs as carbon dioxide left, but he was still alive. Unlike Piper. She could've been dead, and it wouldn't have felt different. She felt empty, and it wasn't strange. She had become familiar with the sensation ever since her father had been murdered, and had come to accept it. She didn't like it very much, but she was used to it. Too used to it.

She sighed internally at how ridiculously arrogant she probably looked. It was her cover, her emotional cover. She couldn't show weakness in front of the Romans, not even in the dark of midnight. She couldn't even save her held back tears for the near silence of her prison cell. Near silence. The catacombs were a deeper hell when the lights when out.

That's when the beatings happened.

The soldiers took it as a chance to punish the tributes without anyone watching. The ones who cried for their lost friends and families were often dragged from their cells into the hall where the others could hear the blows landing with groans of pain. That's why you couldn't cry. Because if you did, it might be your turn to get beat up when the lights went out.

Piper wasn't even sure if she could cry anymore. She was grateful for the distance between her and the audience, they couldn't see her eyes. Her pupils held feelings of sadness, regret, and misery. That was her true self, the one she hid behind a strong, unbeatable warrior. The crowd was in a mix of confusion on whether to cheer or gasp as Piper performed her classic thumbs-down motion to Jupiter, who's eyes lit up in anger.

And with that, Piper unfolded the fingers gripped around the gladiator's sword. She placed her hand under his neck to temporarily support him as she pulled his helmet off his head. She walked to the tribute's table, raising the sword high before digging it into the ground and placing the helmet on the hilt. It marked her fourth victory, a line of swords and helmets showed her winnings.

As she walked to join her group to go back to the catacombs, and the citizens began to leave, a voice cried out changing everything.

"Stop!"

* * *

Prince Jason's voice rang out over the chatter of the crowd, and everyone did as he asked and turned to him.

He set his eyes on the man who had beaten him in his last fight, and held his hands up to quiet everyone. He could feel his father's eyes on him, but unsure of what emotion to portray. Should he be angry? Or confused? Jason didn't know, and he had a feeling his father didn't know either, but the young prince felt when his father settled on curiosity.

"Jason!" Jupiter's voice was sharp. "What are you doing?"

Jason didn't take his eyes off the man, "I want a fight."

"Jason?" His father's tone took a questioning turn. ""The fights are over."

"I _want _a fight."

Jupiter sighed, then grinned cynically. "Granted." Then he raised his voice. "Captain! Choose another!"

The Captain gave a subtle half-smile, in a sick happiness; another excuse to kill another prisoner. He turned to the group of prisoners, avoiding eye contact with the only victorious man, scouring over the weakest of the prisoners. The Captain, himself, grabbed a young boy by the ear and tugged him forward despite the boys terrified cries.

Jason smiled. An easy win.

* * *

Piper was about to jump forward to take his place, but four soldiers had anticipated her, and grabbed her from behind to restrain her from doing such a thing. Piper tried to pull away, but with her legs and arms restrained, it wasn't all that easy. She thrashed, and she could tell that they took enjoyment in the fact that they had overcome her, but she didn't.

The small boy could barely lift the heavy sword he had been given to battle with, while Jason's muscles rippled as he easily held his weapon in his right hand. Piper could see the nervousness written all over the boy's face as he tried to swallow it all down. But he couldn't. It was too much.

Jason's easy-going smile was full of arrogance as he scoffed at the young boy with sarcasm in his throat. He swaggered forward, his shoulders at ease, as the boy hefted up his sword in weak defense. The prince quickly disarmed him in the simplest of motions, and had his sword at the boy's throat in seconds.

The boy held up his hands in defeat and closed his eyes, preparing for the final blow, but Piper would not have it. She summoned all of her strength, and flipped herself over, bringing the two guards restraining her legs with her. With those two down, she easily kicked away the two restraining her arms.

She dove for Katropis, and bolted onto the fighting grounds, barely blocking Jason's strike as it came down. The look of surprise in his eyes was priceless, as the kid ran back to the group, attaching himself to Leo who welcomed the scared boy with open arms.

"Don't you even think about it." She hissed to him.

In Jason's shock, Piper took advantage of him and disarmed him of his sword. She dislodged his lower jaw by forcing her elbows into it with a satisfying crack. She grabbed his wrist, and twisting under his arm, she pinned it behind him. With a quick chop to the back of his neck, and push kick to the back of his lower knee at the joint, he buckled to the ground.

She started to walk away, before Jupiter's voice rang out, "Hang him! He has disrupted a fight!"

"No!" Jason heaved himself up from the ground, dirt sticking to the tips of his hair. He looked to Piper with a defiant look, "do you want to fight?"

Piper glued her lips shut.

Jason spoke his words slower, as if she were too stupid to understand them the first time, "do you want to fight?"

Piper strode to him, with as much pride and smoothness as he had, until there was less than three inches between them. Three inches of rage and hate.

"No."

Jason chuckled, as if he couldn't believe her answer, "you just interrupted my duel, and you don't want to fight?"

"Correct."

"Why?" Suddenly, Jason's easy-going smile grew into a sneer. "You're weak. Pathetic. A soldier who doesn't want to fight."

Piper smiled, "and that's why you lost."

"What?"

Piper clarified, "a good warrior never goes looking for a fight he can avoid."

"You're a fool! A coward!" Jason raised a lip, as if she disgusted him. "You're only embarrassing yourself."

"No, Prince Jason, you're the fool." Jason raised his eyebrows at this, but his glare didn't falter. "I have nothing to prove." She pointed towards the tribute's table. "That's your sword over there, is it not? I've already won and you—well, you're only embarrassing yourself."

Jason hardened at the mention of his loss. "You got lucky the first time! I won't let you win again!"

Piper felt like laughing, "you think I've been getting lucky this entire time? I've been here for months, and I've won four fights—and you think I'm lucky?" She suddenly grew serious, "luck would'a ran out a long time ago."

"I will beat you."

Piper smirks, looking up at the emperor's box, "remember when I told you, Perseus was better than you?" She drew closer. "He is." For the umpteenth time that day, she began to walk away.

It was silent for a moment, as all eyes darted between the high general to the prince. Everyone would sense the tension starting to grow between the two friends. Oh yes, she was good. Very good.

"Don't walk away from me! I order you to stop!"

Piper halted in her tracks, and turned to face him, raising an eyebrow, "I got in her for breaking the law—disobeying orders. Do you honestly think I give a damn what you say?"

"Coward!" Jason yelled after her. "You're nothing! You deserve it! You deserve to die!"

"Yeah. Probably." Piper muttered under her breath.

"You will rot in Pluto!"

Piper gave him a smirk, "ditto."

Piper was five feet from rejoining the other prisoners, when Jason attacked her from behind. She supposed it was meant to be a surprise, but it wasn't. His footsteps in the crunching sand were audible from a mile away. She blocked his strike with Katropis, and shoved him away from her. She ran at him, and he held out his sword for her to stab herself on, but at the last moment she dropped to her knees and slid past him.

In a flurry of motions, she kicked out his legs and jumped on his back, unfastening the three straps on the left side of his breastplate, before he bucked her off. She rolled into a backwards summersault and onto her feet. They engaged in hand-to-hand combat, Piper aimed for his straps, managing to cut the three on his right side. Now his breastplate hug on him, shifting from side to side, and he couldn't redo the straps because she would attack and defeat him while he was distracted.

They circled each other, and soon rejoined in combat, the crowd loving every moment as they shouted chants for Jason to kill her. She blocked his blows as best she could, but he had technique before her, however she had brains. She deflected his sword once more, and circled around to where they were back-to-back. She dug her fingers under his breastplate, and yanked it over his head, swinging it onto herself with such momentum that it knocked the wind out of her.

And quickly, she rolled away from him, almost unable to complete the motion from the weight of his armor. He looked at her shocked, then looked down to his own chest where his armor was missing. She now had protection in the kill zones and he didn't, and they continued the fight. Without his breastplate, Piper aimed her strikes at his chest, landing a few good swipes.

His tunic was stained red where the fabric was ripped from her dagger. It was strange that his own people took joy to cheer for this. Jason was breathing hard, as was Piper, weighted with the armor. With another quick round of parrying and jabs, Jason had managed to rip Katropis from Piper and held his sword at her neck.

"I win." He smiled triumphantly.

"Sure you did..."

Then she slapped him. Hard. She still did have a bit of femininity in her. He moved with the slap as the temporary stun allowed Piper to wretched her dagger and his sword from him. She threw his sword across the arena. Now he had nothing, and her dagger point was now deciding whether it should rest at his heart or his pulse point.

Decisions. Decisions.

* * *

Jupiter glared at him. The man who had defeated his son. Again.

Jupiter became aware of Luke's presence in his ear, "May I offer, my lord?" The emperor's attention was drawn to Luke's movement as he drew his sword from his scabbard only an inch or two.

Jupiter was about the decline, but he had seen enough for his curiosity, "be my guest."

Percy stood behind them. It was true that Percy and Luke had learned form the same teacher, but there had always been something off about Luke, even back then. He was always one for violence, while Percy had always been told to avoid a fight at all possibility.

Even Percy knew that one day Luke was going to cross the wrong person, and end up paying the price. But as always, Percy kept his mouth shut, and watched from afar, allowing it to happen. There had been many battles when Percy had stayed silent, for the better, and he was proud to say so. And sometimes, things didn't play out as well, but he'd still shamelessly admit that it had been his plans.

But for the first time in his life, Percy Jackson was embarrassed to admit he did nothing.

* * *

It happened quickly, and everyone was shocked.

Luke came down into the arena, at Piper's backside, and she didn't notice him. He was silent in his footsteps, and obviously a well-trained soldier. She didn't even know he was back there until the cold tip of a small knife was found at the back of her neck.

He whispered into her ear, "your death had been ordered by the emperor. Nothing personal, _graecus."_

Piper's breath caught, as her senses took over. She quickly knocked his wrist and knife away, as the small weapon flew from his hand nearly ten feet away. Luke looked surprised, but he erased any sign of it as he drew his sword and prepared for battle.

The fight was short and quick. Luke was obviously the better swordsman, but he also relied on blind rage and brute force to carry out his attacks. Piper, on the other hand, decided to stick with her use of wit and clever escapes to aid her. It was a very traditional fight, staying true to classic styles of Roman sword-fighting, with parries, jabs, and stabs.

However with her superior knowledge, Piper performed an easy disarming technique on him, guessing that he probably hadn't seen something so simple in years, and she hoped he wouldn't recognize it. And he didn't. It all happened so fast, and it wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair the way it happened.

It was unmentionable.

It was unforgivable.

It was instinct.

It wasn't her fault.

She didn't know what she was doing. Pure adrenaline coursed through her veins, as she fought the man who had killed her father, and it felt so good when she defeated him. She thought it was over, but her battle senses disagreed. It was habit. It was hell. Which was where she'd probably go after this.

She stabbed him.

She felt the slight hesitation of her blade as it dug through his skin, and his hot breath as his gasped when it entered. Red clouded her vision as Katropis entered Luke's ribcage, and through his heart. Time stopped. Luke's mouth formed a perfect circle as he tried to draw in air with a punctured lung. His eyes were wide and his sword dropped from his weakened hand.

"Your death," she whispered into his ear, "was ordered by me—and it's personal," she let her voice go high, "_Roman."_

She could feel the surprise overtake Luke's failing heart as he began to go into shock. Piper withdrew her dagger, and pushed Luke away. Dizzy to walk, he stumbled as his vision began to go blurry, and he dropped. Dead. Right in front of Piper.

Then her mind came back to her.

Everyone stared at the man with honor, with an open mouth. She had killed someone. She had a dead man lying at her feet. She had his blood on her knife. How dare she call herself Pericles now. How dare she even speak the name. Her honor was gone. She looked to Leo who was looking at her shocked, and she flung the knife away from her, disgusted at it.

Prince Jason looked at her from his weakened state about twenty feet away with amazement. Suddenly gathering strength, his amazement turned fearful and he scampered away from her. Jupiter stood from his seat, Piper was positive he was going to hand her for killing his general, but instead he shouted out loud enough to be heard by all his citizens.

"My subjects! May I introduce to you, our new gladiator!"

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**Whaaaaaaattttt? Piper a gladiator? Oh, that's a cliffhanger. I'm good at those aren't I? Anyways, I'm sorry for not being able to update as often as I'd like to, but I'm trying. Thanks for understanding and everything! Sorry for any spelling, grammar, or incorrect phrasing or something. I can be bad at that when I'm tired. It's 1:00am...**

**Read and Review**

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**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	15. A Man Without Honor

**Hey guys! 167 reviews! That is 20 reviews for the last chapter! Amazing! My record is 26 reviews (from chapter 12), and I'm hoping to surpass it. So let's keep it up!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

***violin music***

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**_Previously on Roman_**

_Your death," she whispered into his ear, "was ordered by me—and it's personal," she let her voice go high, "Roman."_

_ Piper withdrew her dagger, and pushed Luke away. Dizzy to walk, he stumbled as his vision began to go blurry, and he dropped. Dead. Right in front of Piper._

_Then her mind came back to her._

_Everyone stared at the man with honor, with an open mouth. She had killed someone. She had a dead man lying at her feet. Jupiter stood from his seat, Piper was positive he was going to hang her for killing his general, but instead he shouted out loud enough to be heard by all his citizens._

_"My subjects! May I introduce to you, our new gladiator!"_

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**Piper**

She tried to run.

Escape.

Anything.

As long as it wasn't this.

They were surrounding her, the soldiers, slowly creeping towards her. She seized her dagger, blood still drying on it. She tried her hardest to ignore it, but with Luke's corpse at her feet, it was difficult. She had killed someone. She had really killed someone. And now, she was a gladiator.

She was one of them.

She could imagine Jupiter's face, full of mirth from the pure torture he was causing her. There were at least twelve of them—there had to be, in order to take her down. They definitely had the advantage over her. Her eyes were blurred with tears and shame, and she was too absorbed with her scattered emotions.

She was hyperventilating. Every thought from her mind lacked common sense, and instead contained a high amount of guilt. She was shaking, it was a wonder she hadn't dropped her weapon yet. Her muscles memory, which had always aided her in times of distress, now deserted her.

They were slowly closing in on her, and in a panic she didn't know which soldier to focus on. She quickly turned in a circle, as if to meet them all in one battle. There was simply too many, perhaps if she'd been in her right mind she could've taken them, but she wasn't. Anyone with even a small fraction of their vision could see that.

They grabbed her, easily ripping her dagger away from her. She could hear Leo crying out, but from the corner of her eye, she could see two remaining soldiers restraining his arms. Six of them gripped her major joints preventing movement, while the remaining six had her at sword point, so even if she wanted to move she couldn't do it without impaling herself.

As they dragged her towards the gladiator side, she gave one last look to Leo, her only living friend. Their eyes met, in sadness and loss, they had both lost the only friend they had left. They had been turned against each other, unwillingly, and just as Piper was about to be pulled through the grand steel gates, she fought back.

She struggled, throwing two of her captors away from her. She threw idiotic punches with no intended destination, but they were strong and when they landed they crunched the noses of the soldiers. She wasn't fighting with any particular style, nor strategy. She had betrayed herself with brute force and clumsy blows. Clumsy as they may be, many still landed and stunned the Romans.

But the more she fought, the more soldiers came to her. It was a small army versus her, and eventually she gave into it, allowing her body to go weak and to be dragged through the gates. As she left, the crowd cheered for the sudden twist in events. It would surely be a sell-out next week, to see Piper fight against her own people.

To see her kill her own people.

* * *

Piper was hauled through the underground tunnels of the gladiator side of the catacombs.

Her bare feet were scratched against the stone flooring. Compared to the tribute catacombs, these were much nicer, however to Piper, it was a deeper pit of hell. Torches hung on the walls, providing minimal light for the soldiers to guide their way. After countless twists and turns, and turn-arounds, they reached a heavy steel door that took two of the six soldiers holding her to heave open.

The room was already lit with candles, but it also had a small opening, guarded by four metal bars, allowing a little natural light. The room was small and near bare except for basic furniture. A desk in the corner. A nightstand. And a dresser for gods know why, she didn't have any other clothes. There was a bed. An actual bed. Piper hadn't slept on an actual bed in ages. One of the guards caught her looking at it.

"No girls." No problem.

Then she noticed something, "why are there no sheets? or blankets?"

The guard scoffed, "so you don't hang yourself."

Well. That was a good reason. And it seemed like a fine option to Piper. She sat down on the mattress, it was getting late in the day, and she had been exhausted from work. Now she wouldn't have to work, she could sleep in, but she would train all day. She would get decent meals, and she would eat them with a sense of guilt. She closed her eyes, lying down, and steadied her breathing.

The soldiers left, but not before locking her in first.

* * *

Piper was pulled from her bed as early as she had as a tribute.

At first, she immediately thought she had angered the Captain in some way, and was going to be whipped for it. She jumped to her feet, fists bared, only to find an emotionless guard standing at ready to react if she initiated a fight. Then she remembered. Gladiator.

She gave him a glare, and pushed past him, then stopped at the door. She had no idea where she was going. She turned backed to him, and gestured him forward impatiently to spare herself the embarrassment. He jolted to life and shoved her out the door. Even though she was a gladiator, she was still a prisoner, and she was still a threat to the Roman Empire.

He led her out into a large space inside the catacombs. There they were. The five other gladiators. Each took his own moment to observe the newcomer, then returned to his practice. That's where she was. It was some kind of underground training area. This is where it happened. Where all the gladiators learned to be killers.

They certainly didn't look like killers. Well. Most of them didn't. Of the five, there were only two Piper would mark as true mercenaries. The other three looked like they were they because they had to be there. She analyzed all of them, paying extreme attention to minor details in not only their fighting styles, but their appearances and habits.

There was one boy who was completely separated from the group. He was slashing at straw dummies with a pure black sword in a catlike fashion. He was quick and sharp in his movements, thoroughly thinking out each movement. He obviously wanted nothing to do with the other gladiators, and paid them no mind whatsoever. It was obvious to Piper, he had a hint of Greek fighting style, and no one would have noticed if they hadn't look closely, but the way he slashed instead of jabbed made it clear to her.

She turned her attention to another boy, perhaps a few years older than herself, and watched him attentively. He too had a small pinch of Greek in him, nowhere near as much as the other boy, but still. Piper supposed it was from sparring with the boy often, and learning from his fighting style. He had a calculating look in his grey eyes, as Piper did so often, as he skewered a dummy.

There was one boy she recognized, though it took her a moment without his armor. It was the boy she had defeated during her first match. The boy who favored his left side. The boy who's sword and helmet she had taken. He caught her looking at him, and she quickly changed her line of vision, wondering how awkward it would be if they ever spoke.

Then the two who she had marked as killers. They both were exactly like Luke, and though it pained her to even think of his name, they were. They were fighting each other, obviously allowing their swords to lead, instead of their brains. Brute force was all they were using, hoping to cut each other's heads off instead of defeating the other properly. As soon as they saw her, their duel immediately halted.

"Well, well, well," one of them mused, "look what we have here."

"Hey Will." The boy Piper had beaten looked up from his practice. "It's the guy that kicked your ass."

"Shut up..." Will muttered.

"The man with honor." The first one looked at her with fake interest. "The way I see it, killing isn't very honorable, now is it?"

Piper remained unfazed, but internally she was an emotional mess.

"You know," the second boy spoke, "I'd offer to fight you, but you might stab me..."

"Hey!" The grey-eyed boy walked over. "Knock it off, guys!" He was obviously well respected, because the two boys backed off. "Luke was an idiot who got what was coming to him, now leave the kid alone!" The two boys stalked off, muttering meaningless threats.

"Malcolm Chase." The boy offered his hand.

"Pericles McLean." Piper took it.

Malcolm shook his head, "sorry about those two. Chris and Eurytion can be jerks, but they're really just scared out of their minds."

"Scared? Why?"

"We fight for our lives every week, and normally that's not so bad—the emperor pretty much ensures our win, but then there are people like you who come along."

"People like me?"

"Yeah. People who actually learned how to fight before they were taken, and when those people come they usually don't leave behind survivors. They're angry, and want revenge. And when they can take it, they do."

Piper swallowed.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." Malcolm gestured her with him. "Well, you already met Eurytion and Chris." He pulled her to the boy she'd beaten. "And this is Will."

"We've met." Will said, bitterly.

"Really?" And the Malcolm remembered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Oh yeah, he beat you in the ring, didn't he?"

Will sneered at Piper before he looked away slightly embarrassed and dishonored. Malcolm muttered a goodbye to him, and grabbed Piper by her arm and steered her away. Piper looked over her shoulder at Will, who had already turned back to his dummy and was now slashing at it more ferociously than he had been.

"What's his problem?" Piper asked when they were out of his earshot.

"Will's just upset that you beat him, and now that you're one of us, he can't get his honor back."

"His honor?"

"Yeah. Here, it is tradition that if you loose a fight, you die. However, if you manage to live by the mercy of another, you live in shame and dishonor. And you continue that way until you gain it back, " he continued slowly and awkwardly, "by killing the one who shamed you."

"And that'd be me?" Piper's voice was small.

"Yeah." It was silent for a split sentence, before Malcolm brightened it. "Hey, don't worry about it. He can't touch you, and even if he could, you'd beat him again."

Piper half-smiled weakly at that—just because he wasn't allowed to kill her, doesn't mean he wasn't a rule-breaker. Then he pulled her across the room to the boy with the black sword. He paused for a moment from his destroying of the dummies, as if he sensed them approaching. Then he returned to his practice as if he didn't care.

"And this is Nico." Malcolm gestured to the boy.

He didn't turn around, just kept stabbing at the dummy.

"Um, hi?" Piper said, unsurely. "I'm Pericles,:

She offered her hand for him to shake, but Nico continued whacking at his inanimate opponent. Piper slowly withdrew her hand, wincing when he slashed his sword in a deadly arc, beheading the dummy.

"Don't mind him." Malcolm assured her. "He doesn't talk much"

Piper half-nodded to show her understanding, then she noticed Chris and Eurytion mocking at Will. Will tried to ignore them, and continue his training.

"Hey, Will!" Chris shot at him. "Now you'll never get your stupid honor back. You'll live in shame forever now that he's with us!"

Will gripped his sword tighter, but didn't fight back.

"Yeah!" Eurytion joined in. "Why don't you two spar right now? Have him kick your ass again?"

Will tried to walk away, but Chris stopped him, "Hey, I'm talking to you."

Malcolm sense the upcoming fight, and stepped between them. "Stop it, Chris. There is no shame in losing."

Chris laughed. "You said it yourself, _tradition-boy_. You lose, you're dishonored."

Malcolm and Chris started arguing; Piper looked back and forth between them, unsure what to do. Because of lack from paying attention, no one noticed Eurytion sneaking up behind Malcolm, bashing his head with the butt of his sword. Malcolm crumpled and Chris and Eurytion stalked towards Will who shrunk back into himself. Piper moved in front of Will.

"Hey!" She bared her fists, having no other weapon.

"You're defending him?" Chris asked incredulously. "You beat him. He hates you—and you're defending him?!"

"I don't like bullies."

"Whatever." Eurytion was obviously scared of her, but he didn't back down. "You don't have a weapon, you can't do anything about it."

"Oh, really?" Piper seized Will's sword from him.

"Hey!" Will protested, but Piper wouldn't hear any of it, then his voice grew softer. "That's my sword."

And it was heavy. She could barely lift it, and ended up allowing the ground to hold it up, while she kept her hand on the hilt. Chris and Eurytion took a cautious step back, but still didn't leave. The two boys were obviously having a mental battle between each other, as to who was going to actually fight her. They had both seen what she had been able to do in the ring.

Chris and Eurytion were in a battle of strengths, trying to push each other forward, and eventually Eurytion won out and Chris was shoved towards Piper. He drew his sword, and pointed it at her, and Piper rolled her eyes. Using Will's sword as support, she pushed off the ground and landed a hard dropkick to Chris' chest, propelling him backwards into Eurytion. They both fell backwards, hitting their heads against the concrete floor; neither were unconscious, but neither were getting up anytime soon. Will looked at her in amazement.

"Sorry." Piper held out the hilt for him. "Your sword is kind of heavy."

Will took the hilt from her, and easily hefted it back into it's scabbard. Then he grabbed Malcolm's limp body by his arm, and pulled him to his feet, placing the arm and Malcolm's weight over his shoulder.

"I'll take him to his room, he'll have a nasty headache when he comes to."

Piper nodded. "Okay."

Will turned to leave, but looked back to her over his shoulder. "Oh, and Pericles?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"You know, I don't care what everyone says, you're still the man with honor."

Piper gave him a small smile. Yeah right.

* * *

**Leo**

The choosing were the worst in months.

Now, there was no way out. There was no one to volunteer for your life. There was no one to take your place. There was no wild card; no save. Piper was a gladiator, and now no one could sleep easy. Everyone had lost hope; no one admitted it, but the feeling of depression was in the air. The only person in a good mood was the Captain, and possibly the soldiers, but they wore no expression so it was hard to tell.

The first man who was chosen had a fresh deep scratch from his shoulder to his waist, probably from a soldier's sword. He was still bleeding through his tunic, a deeper red coming from the original source of the wound. His face contorted in pain as he walked forward to take his place in the tributes line. Nobody volunteered for him.

The next chosen was a small boy; so small that two of him would've made the Captain's height. If Leo had to place an age on him, it would've been seven or eight—much too young to die. His cheeks were wet with tears, as they freely poured from his eyes. He looked hopeful to the older men, hoping someone would willingly take his place, but nobody volunteered for him.

The next man was surprisingly healthy, but he was all skin and bones. His things were about the same size as Leo's biceps, which weren't all that muscled. He looked five seconds from collapsing to the ground; Leo wondered how it was possible for him to stand on those legs. As he walked up, nobody volunteered for him.

A boy about Leo's age was chosen next, but he was well underfed. Leo could easily make out the outline of the boy's ribs even through the dark fabric of his tunic. Leo was rather curious as to what the boy had done to deserve such treatment, probably something that was near nothing, but the soldier's took any chance they could to torture the prisoners. Nobody volunteered for him.

When the Captain chose the next boy, he just walked right up there without a care in the world. He wore that depressed expression and that was why the Captain chose him; he'd be the easiest to defeat. He'd given up hope, and everyone knows hopelessness craves death. He didn't even look for help, nobody volunteered for him.

Then, the Captain pointed to Leo, at first there was a sense of calmness, but then he remembered. Piper was gone now. There was no one to save him, as she'd done before. He walked up to the tribute's line, and ignored the victorious look on the Captain's face. They had Pericles' best friend, and they were going to kill him; the Captain couldn't have been happier.

Leo had been chosen, and now there was no one to volunteer for him.

* * *

**So? I guess you guys saw the Leo getting chosen thing, but you guys are seeing what's coming next. Guarantee it. Everyone thinks Leo is going to fight Piper. Ha! That's a good one. No, my friends, that will much later when Leo—well never mind... (muhahaha...)**

**I gave you guys a cliffhanger that I haven't even wrote yet. But yes, Piper and Leo will have a fight, just no quite yet. You guys already guessed a fight, and there'll be one, I promise that. I have a major plot twist for that, and that will be in the sequel, I think. Yes, you heard it here, there's going to be a sequel.**

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**Live on cliffhangers, my Awesome Possums! :oD**


	16. One of Them

**Um. Hi? I know this is long overdue, but I had a deal to make another story update. The author of that story loves this story, and she hadn't updated in a while, so I... well, I blackmailed her... I wouldn't update this story until she updated hers. And she did. It's my favorite Percy Jackson story right now, and thanks to her, you guys are getting an update! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

**On the bright side of life, 193 reviews! Woo!**

* * *

**Piper**

It was all she could do to keep upright.

Her muscles were pounding as oxygen tried to pump the sourness away. Her face felt hot, and she was positive she was beet red. Her breath was heavy, her chest heaving for air, and she'd been done with training for nearly ten minutes. She had never been pushed so hard in her lifetime, not even during her training with Chiron.

With a dry mouth, she tried to choke down the entire basin of water at the edge of the training field. She placed her hands on the edge of the wood, and took a deep breath, dunking her head down inside. She took a few great big gulps, feeling a supporting hand pat her shoulder. She took another swallow and surfaced for air, wiping a few stray drops from her eyes to see Malcolm giving her an understanding smile.

"First time's always the hardest." He assured her. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Piper nodded, unsure if she could speak, before plunging back under the water. She only got a small sip before she was yanked up and thrown away from the basin. Chris gave her a small smirk, before he and Eurytion sank their heads beneath the water, taking the pleasure of a moist tongue for themselves. Piper was about to say something, but she felt a hand restrain her by her shoulder.

She expected Malcolm, but she came face to face with Nico. His face was blank of all emotion, but with a small shake of his head, she was silenced. They looked at each other for a moment before he released her shoulder, and walked away from the group, not bothering to quench his thirst.

Piper looked after him for a moment, before Malcolm nudged her away from the basin and back towards their rooms. Both were silent for most of the walk, and Piper had zoned out, so there wasn't much chance for a conversation to begin. And that's what made their companionship work; either could zone out from the other and neither would mind.

Wanting to disrupt the silence, Piper spoke, "so, uh, how'd I do?"

"Well," Malcolm started, "your stance is off, your technique is so bad it's tragic, and you have the _worst _grip I've ever seen."

"Oh." Piper looked down, sarcasm hinting her voice. "Is that all?"

"No. You'd be dead by now," he paused, and Piper winced, "if you weren't a strategic genius. You performed so many combinations I've never even considered before—and that's how you win. You're clever."

Later that day, Piper was in her room, putting on the armor she had been given to fight in. She could say she wasn't nervous for the duels today, but she'd be lying. No, she didn't think she was going to loose, but that's exactly what she was afraid of. Would she have to kill now that she was a gladiator? No, she was done killing; she'd done it once, and she never wanted to do it again.

But there was another question, what would they do to her if she didn't? She had fear that they would kill her, cut her food rations, or maybe even her water rations. But honestly, she wasn't sure she cared. She was more focused on her armor at the moment, and actually wearing it. She had never worn armor, and couldn't quite figure it out.

She attempted to adjust the straps to accommodate her body for her protection. She couldn't get it right, the buckles pinching her fingers as she tried to fix them. When she finally got the buckle undone, she tightened it too tight, and she didn't know how to loosen it.

"Confound this damn thing!" Piper cursed it.

Malcolm knocked on her door, "Pericles? Do you need some help?"

"Uh, no!" Piper yelled back, shoving the armor from her body.

She grabbed her helmet from her dresser, tucking her hair up into it. She only wore the helmet out of necessity, not for protection. Her hair had grown long in the time she had been in the Colosseum, and now that she was a gladiator, she was given a chance to bathe. Without the oils in her hair to keep in straight, the feminine curl was retaining, and it would surely give her away.

She was only allowed her blade during training and during fights, since the Romans still didn't trust her. There was no chance to slice her hair off again, and it made her nervous. Yes, the cloth tie would keep it tied away from her face, and the dirt she constantly smudged onto her face, even after bathing, hide her features. The helmet had become her smokescreen, there was barely anytime she wasn't wearing it. It hid her true self, and for that she was thankful.

Malcolm gave her a raised eyebrow when he saw her lack of amour, but said nothing about it. As they walked out in the arena, all eyes were on Piper, and she doubted that it was because of difference in clothing. All the other gladiators were showing their victory smiles with arrogant waves, except Malcolm and Nico. Malcolm's smile was shy and he'd occasionally offer a wave, and Nico looked like he didn't really care, but he still gave a forced smile and a wave that looked rehearsed.

Piper stood behind the four of them, with her arms crossed and frown upon her face. She caught Jupiter's eyes for a quick moment as he looked upon her with disapproval from the emperor's viewing box. That made Piper crack a smile for a split second, before it was gone.

Even as one of them, she could still disobey.

* * *

She didn't kill him.

She couldn't bring herself to.

Looks like cut dinner portions for her. Oh well, not like she was used to eating anyways.

She walked forward, fighting third, leaving Malcolm and Chris to be the last. A small boy was pushed forward, and Piper's stomach went South. She swallowed, her right eye twitched, letting anyone who happened to looking to know that she was uncomfortable. Unlike the other two that had been killed before him, the boy gleamed when he saw who he was fighting.

He recognized her, and it assured him that he'd live to see another day, but his sense of security vanished when Piper drew Katropis. His smiled dropped when she gave the saddest, most sorrowful look she had ever given another human being. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes grew larger in fear, and he realized, she was going to kill him. As a tribute, she could do whatever the hell she wanted and live through it because the soldiers there feared her, the ones she lived with now didn't give a damn.

Chris would love an excuse to run a sword through her, and Eurytion would laugh as she bled out. Will wouldn't say anything, Nico would brood for ten seconds and then be over it, and Malcolm would look away, sticking to tradition. The boy closed his eyes, not even attempting to run; even in his young age, he knew there was no way to beat her. She muttered quiet apology, not just to him, but to herself. She had no choice, but then again, she didn't exactly give a damn either.

Just as she was about to do it, she dropped Katropis. The little boy opened his eyes at the sound of the blade landing with a quiet thud. He looked questioningly at her, as if wondering why she hadn't done it. They both looked at each other for a moment before Piper dropped to one knee, to his level. She gave him a small smile and he returned it.

"Hi." She said, so only they'd hear.

"Hi." He murmured, nearly inaudible.

"I'm Pericles." Okay. That was a lie.

His voice was still soft, "Lee." Then he spoke again with renewed strength. "My name is Lee. Lee Fletcher."

"You know, Lee," Piper whispered to him, as if sharing a secret, "I once had a teach who told me everything I needed to know to in here."

Lee looked at her with wide eyes, "really?"

She nodded, "and do you know what he told me before I came here?"

"What?"

"That to win, all I had to do was think quicker."

"That's it?" Lee asked, incredulously.

"Mmhmm." Piper said, through closed lips. "Strength may be a good thing to have, but wit always wins."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. And you know what?"

"What?"

She leaned in close, gesturing him forward, as if it were something only the two of them could know, "I think you'd be a really good warrior."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Piper smiled, and stood to her full height. "And I'm going to give you your first lesson—so do as I do. First we hold out our thumb like this." Piper did so.

Lee mimicked her, "like this?"

Piper nodded. "Perfect. Now we direct it at the emperor." She looked to him, the crowd silent as he did it. "Great. Now we turn it over, like so." Lee turned his over, exactly as Piper did.

The crowd roared for it, and with Jupiter scathing in his box, Lee looked like he was loving it. Piper gave a look over her shoulder to the Captain, and narrowed her eyes, first looking at Lee, then to the Captain, then to Lee. She drew up her other hand, and traced a line across her neck with one finger. Even with a great amount of distance between them, Piper could see the amount of fear inside the Captain grew. Lee Fletcher was now the only person, besides Leo, under her protection, and her message was clear.

Touch him, and you're dead.

* * *

Malcolm was last to fight and when his tribute was showed forward, Piper's heart was suddenly in her throat.

She shot a sharp glare at the Captain, but he looked away, pretending he hadn't noticed. Leo gripped a rusted sword, that even Piper could tell was completely off balance; even though he had the will to live, there was no way Leo could win against Malcolm. Piper gripped Katropis, hoping Leo could do this himself.

He couldn't. She should've known. Leo was on the ground, his sword on the other side of the arena, with Malcolm pricking a bit of blood from his neck in a matter of seconds. Piper rushed forward, Nico tried to grab her wrist, but she slipped through. Just as Malcolm was about to do it, Piper blocked the blow with a sort of intense urgency not even Leo had seen before.

Malcolm looked at her, incredulously, "Pericles." His voice was quiet and sharp. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Malcolm." She disarmed him with ease, and hit a few quick pressure points on his neck.

Malcolm's eyes rolled back into his head, and he sank down. Nico ran forward, giving her the evil eye, before dragging Malcolm back to the gladiator's side. Leo stood, wiping the blood from his neck, clearing his throat to regain her attention.

Piper was surprised when he said, "I didn't need your help."

Piper scoffed, "sure looked like it."

"I had everything under control."

"More like you had everything under sword point."

"That didn't even make any sense!" Leo's voiced gained volume, attracting attention from the crowd.

"You know what I meant! I was just trying to help you! You could—no—_would_ be dead if I hadn't stepped in!"

Leo looked down, ashamed, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I need to learn to take care of myself, and now that you're not around, who would volunteer? There's no one to protect me. I need to learn to defend myself."

"This is not the time to do that, Leo." Piper argued. "And this," she gestured to the death arena, "is certainly not the place."

"I know." Leo admitted. "There has to be something we can do; some way to teach me."

Piper sighed, "I'll think of something."

Leo grinned. "Thanks, Pipes."

Piper winced at her father's old nicknamed for her; it was like reliving his death all over again. She closed her eyes, to prevent the tears, ignoring Nico yelling at her to hurry up. It was like an old scar, it was healed and it was closed, until someone mentioned it, and then it was ripped open again. She opened her eyes again, refusing to look at him as she spoke.

"Please don't call me that."

* * *

**Yeah, it was pretty short, but next chapter... it'll be wow. Trust me. In fact, I'll give you a preview right now. **

_**"He'd been that close. That close."**_

**So what will happen? Will Leo convince Piper to train him? Will Piper gain Nico's trust? Will Will get his revenge on Chris and Eurytion? What do you think will happen? Oh sigh, a small little quote can lead to a lot of trouble. I'll let you guys ponder it... (muhahahahahaaa...)**

**Read and Review!**

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**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	17. That Close

**Um? Hi? What's the phrase? Better late than never? Yeah, so this is about a week late, but I guess that's okay... Better late than never, right? So, anyways, 205 reviews! Woohoo! Cross that off my bucket list. ****_200 reviews... check. _****So now, my new goal is 300. Which I think this story can get by the end. So, tell all your fanfiction friends to read and reviews! **

**(Oh, and those of you that read and don't review, I still love ya, but please review! I have dreams, here...)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**Hehe... Do not. It kinda sounds like donut... for some reason this makes me think of a Burdge-Bug deviant art drawing... she wrote that one her drawing of Percy kinda looked like he had a "Is that a donut? I want a donut." expression on his face. Write in your review if you know which drawing I'm talking about, and if you don't, look up Burdge, she is an awesome artist! And she does HP, ATLA, LOK, HoO, PJO, Hunger Games... Pretty much everything I love! (And actually, one of her drawings in my profile pic...)**

* * *

**Piper**

It seemed like an average day as a gladiator.

She had settled into a routine—and she was ashamed to admit it, but she had grown to be quite comfortable with the other gladiators. As she had discovered they weren't bad people, not counting Chris and Eurytion of course, but Malcolm was friendly, Will tolerated her, and Nico kept to himself. Yeah. Best friends for life.

As they did so often after trainings, Malcolm and Piper walked back to their rooms together. Piper was absorbed in the color of the walls and the cracks in the floor, but Malcolm had no interest in such things. She could tell he wanted to say something, for every few minutes he'd open his mouth and take a breath like he was going to speak, but he'd end up just shutting his mouth. He wouldn't meet her eyes, telling her that it was specifically addressed to her, but Piper didn't exactly know what.

"What was it like?" Malcolm asked out of the blue, causing Piper to nearly jump as his suddenness.

"What was what like?"

"Fighting him." That didn't exactly clear it up, Piper had fought many people.

"Who?"

"The prince." Malcolm clarified. "Jason." Malcolm whispered his name in slight fear, as if it were a deadly sin.

Piper shrugged, "like any other fight, I guess."

Malcolm pressed on. "Wasn't he skilled? It's said he's bested a thousand men with his imperial gold sword, and a thousand more with his lance." It was obvious. The Romans had really built up their prince to the citizens.

Piper scoffed loudly, "I don't know about that; he went down near as quickly as all the others—Perseus was better."

"He was?" Malcolm sounded the slightest bit shocked.

Piper thought back to both fights. It was true, both were skilled fighters, and it was a difficult fight each time. Maybe it was because she had fought Jason more often, or perhaps it was because Percy actually had her respect. She didn't know why she'd automatically think that, but she knew, not deep down but at the top of her head, that Percy could wield a sword unlike no other.

"Yeah," Piper gave a small smirk, unnoticeable to Malcolm, "and he always will be."

* * *

It was starting to get colder in the arena.

It might've been because of the changing weather as fall came to a close and winter approached, or it could've been the growing tensions everyone felt—even the audience. Malcolm was fighting first, as seniority in age and rank gave him the opportunity, and a small boy was shoved forward. Although Piper was relieved it wasn't Leo or Lee, she still felt anger towards the Romans.

As Malcolm drew his sword, Piper saw the muscle on his right forearm twitch for a split second before he relaxed as if something was greatly bothering him. As the small boy pulled a heavy sword on the tribute's table—no one had dared to touch the few claimed by Piper—it clanged to the ground as soon as it left the wood as the boy couldn't lift it. Malcolm twitched again.

Piper cocked her head curiously to the side, giving a small smile to herself; she was starting to rub off on Malcolm. But two weeks with Piper couldn't do much for twenty-five years as a Roman. Malcolm still sought out to kill the boy, a _graecus, _the very poison of Roman existence. Before Malcolm could make the final blow, another blade stopped his, and it wasn't Piper's.

It was Jason's.

The whole arena gasped, while Jupiter seemed ready to explode. Piper only stared, curiously; she knew he couldn't be doing this for the protection of the boy, it had to be for his own benefit. And it was. Jason shoved Malcolm aside and before Malcolm could retaliate, Nico pulled him off to the side, whispering something into his ear that caused Malcolm to relax.

Jason's eyes narrowed in concentrated anger, before turning to the young boy Malcolm had been fighting. Jason gave him a swift kick in the stomach before lazily spinning his sword in a massive circle and beheading him. Piper winced as the young boy's head rolled away from his body, his lifeless eyes still open but masked with the cloudiness of death. The boy's body crumpled, but Jason didn't seemed the slightest bit fazed, instead he snapped his fingers and pointed to Piper.

"You." With one finger, he motioned her forward.

Malcolm stepped up to protest, but Jason snapped his fingers once more and waved them off, using his authority to his advantage. The other five gladiators obediently went back through their tunnel, disappearing back into their catacombs. Jason had just cancelled the other fights for the week, just to have another chance at defeating Piper.

"Jason!" Jupiter's voice rang high with malice towards his son. "You will not fight! You will only embarrass this empire more!" Piper noted Jupiter had said _empire_ instead of _family. _Well. The man had his priorities.

Jason didn't move to fight Piper, but he didn't move to succumb to his father either. His grip tightened on his sword causing his knuckled to turn white with rage. Piper's hand rested on Katropis' hilt, in case Jason were to charge her. Jupiter was seething that Jason had not returned to him, like a good prince should've. Jason pointed his sword to her, challenging her. The crowd roared, and if he could've, Jupiter would've lit his son on fire.

"Haven't you learned that you can't beat me?" Piper asked him, walking forward to duel him.

"Haven't you learned that when you stab someone, they die?" He spat back at her.

Piper's eyes widened that he would go that far, and in blind rage, she drew her dagger and charged him. He immediately brought up his sword and parried her strike, pushing her away with a burst of strength. Piper slowed to a stop, the sole of her gladiator sandals slightly heating in friction. She came at him again, but it was a beginners mistake; he was waiting for her, slicing at the skin near the base of her neck.

Her training saved her life as she rolled away from the strike but it still grazed her, leaving a cut that would surely scar. Piper pressed the cloth of her tunic to the would to absorb a bit of the blood, cursing herself for refusing to wear armor. She came back once more, thrusting at his chest, only to have him duck under the blow and grab her wrist. He twisted it painfully, bringing back bad memories of the tavern where her father used to work, before shoving her away, not realizing he just saved her a broken wrist.

The mental mention of her father shoved her into overdrive. They came together in a clatter of swords, consisting of quick strikes and lifesaving blocks. Piper slashed at his legs, surprised that he had managed to leap over her sword. As he landed, his body followed gravity as he went down, swinging his leg in an arc at her ankles causing her to trip and fall. He was up quickly, retaining the balance he had lost in sweeping her.

Perhaps it was some psychic sense or a god looking out for her, but Piper felt the air swoosh as his blade came down to end her, and she rolled away before he could. But it didn't matter; as soon as she turned to face him, he was on her again. He drove her from one side of the large arena to the other, as she desperately tried countering his rough strikes. When they had made it to the center of the arena once more, he gave a sharp cut from the side, the mere force of the blow sent Katropis flying from her hand.

She gaped at him as the crowd gasped. Jupiter stood, and yelled at him, "what are you waiting for, Jason?! Finish him!"

Piper tried to run for her blade, but Jason cut her legs out from under her with his sword, leaving a few painful gashes. But he didn't kill her. He forced her to her knees in front of the gods and everyone. Piper's eyes were nearly closed in exhaustion, as her death impended; she was ready, ready for the Fields of Punishment. She'd surely go there for everything she had done, and everything she failed to do.

Piper looked up at him, gloating to the crowd, that last vision she'd ever see was of him. Well. There were more pleasing ways to die. As she stared at him, waiting for him to behead her like he'd done to that boy, she wondered where she'd gone wrong. She'd been trained, she had done everything she thought was right—except killing, of course. As she thought of this, and looking at how proud he was to be the one to kill her, she suddenly knew.

She tried to screw the devil, and got caught.

She was fluttering in and out of consciousness, her breath heavy as the true pain of her neck wound was upon her. She'd soon bleed out if he didn't do it soon. When he had finished his bragging, he went to her, and she guessed that the fates had decided it was time for her death. Then he touched the bristle of horse hair on her helmet, and she realized that he wasn't going to kill her just yet, he was going to do as she'd done and remove her helmet as an act of shame. And by doing that, he'd expose her as a woman.

Piper jolted to life.

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him down over her shoulder, landing him hard on the ground. She stomped on his wrist, and he cried out in pain, opening his palm. She quickly scooped up his sword, and grabbed his helmet from his head. He was still conscious, but he didn't dare try to regain his weapon. She might've been crazy enough to not accept defeat, but he wasn't. He knew she was capable of killing, he'd seen her do it, albeit reluctantly, but she'd still done it.

She already had the blood of one Roman on her hands, what difference was two, especially if it was someone she hated as much as Jason? Her helmet, and her identity, were still intact as she brought his sword over to the tributes table. The tributes that had been watching quickly backed away from her in fear, since she was still a gladiator.

Piper gave them a comforting smile, and placed the helmet and sword actually upon the table, instead of dug into the ground as she'd done before, in hopes that someone would actually used them. Giving Jupiter, the thumbs-down gesture that everyone had come to associate with her instead of him. The crowd roared, as Leo walked forward to greet her.

He gave her a hug, his words muffled by her shoulder, " —scared me there."

She chuckled, releasing him, "sorry, Leo."

She could tell he was about to launch into a series of jokes, that he'd been saving for the next time he saw her, but before he could, the Romans pushed her away from him and dragged the tributes back into their gate. Piper thought about retaliating, but no, she'd save that for another time.

Wordlessly, she walked back to the gladiator's side as if it were home.

* * *

Later that night, Piper, Will, Nico, Chris, and Eurytion sat together playing pinochle in the center of the training grounds.

Will had been foolish enough to bet against Chris and Eurytion, who were dirty cheaters. Nico, on the other hand, had known, and Piper had figure it out after the first round when she spotted Chris slipping a bad card down his tunic. No one spoke, they merely played their game and everything was silent, until Malcolm came running in, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Guys! Guys!" He jogged into the room, waving a piece of parchment in his right hand. Piper raised an eyebrow, turning to him. As Will looked away, slightly showing his cards, Eurytion glanced at them and changed his suit to beat Will's.

"What is it now, Malcolm?" Nico seemed slightly impatient about something.

"You'll never guess what a guard just gave me for all of us." Malcolm paused, waiting for them to try their hand. If she had voiced her suspicions, Piper would've chosen either booze or liquor. When no one spoke, Malcolm burst open, "They're having a party! For us!"

"A party?" Piper asked.

"Yeah!" Malcolm said. "Well—a Gladiator's Gala, but it's still a party."

"I don't know about this, Malcolm." Nico voiced Piper's concerns.

"Oh, come one, Nic." Nico narrowed his eyes at Malcolm's new nickname for him. "It's a chance to get out of this hellhole." Piper had to agree with him on that one. "A chance to dance with beautiful women—though I'm sure they'll go for the best of us—" He nudged Piper, teasingly. "Save a few for me, eh, Pericles?"

"Huh?" Piper tried to hide her discomfort. "Hm? Oh—yeah, sure." He could have all of them.

"Ha!" Eurytion slammed down his cards in front of Will. "I win!" Will flung his cards hopelessly in the air, and sunk his head into his hands, upset.

Piper could understand that. In every game, there was always a cheater.

* * *

As Piper went to sleep that night, she couldn't help but think back to her earlier fight with Prince Jason.

She fought him many times before, but none ever like this, how had he so easily gotten under her skin? How had she so easily let him? She felt worried, what would happen in her next fight with him? She prayed there wouldn't be another fight, but she couldn't provide a good honest answer. Because her good honest answer was truly that she didn't know.

She fingers traced along the bandages on her neck, knowing there were similar ones near her calves. He had been merciless and if she hadn't gotten the better of him, she could've died. She couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if he hadn't been arrogant enough to gloat long enough for her to regain a bit of strength. She couldn't help but sit and wonder through the entire night.

For nearly the entire duration she'd been in Rome, Jason had been trying to kill her. They'd fought countless times with Piper winning each one though with each battle he'd been adapting to her style and her tricks, learning to defeat her. He wanted her dead, she knew that, and today had scared her far more than anything else had.

He'd been that close.

That close.

* * *

**So? I was a little nervous giving the small preview to you guys, because it was a little risky because it practically gave away the full chapter. But I've been waiting for this chapter for a long time, because it's starting to show how Jason is getting under her skin and how he could, quiet possibly, beat her in a fight. There was a little bit of hinted Jasper if you look really, REALLY close. **

**But, to all the people wondering when Jasper will arrive, let us all remember that she is still a man at the moment, and he thinks she is a man. So, why would he make a move on her, if she's a man? So, it'll be a little awkward next chapter with Piper avoiding all her adoring fangirls who want to dance with her, and perhaps kiss a little bit? Hmm? So, maybe it'll be a little humorous.**

**Read and Review!**

**I guess I can give a little writer's advice, so here it goes. **

**Writer's Advice: One Shots**

**There is a specific technique that I use for oneshots, when I am seriously writing them in a serious manner. I called them three-prong stories. I don't know why, I just do. And they're great if you're in college and you need to write a short story or something. I can give a few examples, and they're awesome for getting ideas. ****What you do with them is you come up with three different elements, and you connect them all into a story:**

**Examples:**

**A stolen ring, a fear of spiders, and a sinister stranger.**

**Identical twins, a party invitation, and a locked closet.**

**An ex-boyfriend, a pair of binoculars, and a good-luck charm.**

**A horoscope, makeup, and a missing tooth.**

**It's as simple as that! Three random objects, and it could be anything. A person. A place. An object. It doesn't really matter, you just connect them into your plot and you write. It's really easy once you get into it, and can be done with virtually any item. They're the best of fun, and a great challenge to take. I highly suggest it, you really can't go wrong with them. Feel free to use any ideas I listed as an example, just be sure to tell me, so I can read it! ****Good luck!**

* * *

**Keep calm and be an Awesome Possum! :oD**


	18. Gladiator's Gala

**Wow. 18 chapters—and I've already beheaded someone... I feel accomplished. So I've outlined to around chapter 21, and I plan to end it around 22 or 23, and then start up a sequel. Have I given out the title yet? I know I have told some of you, who I PM with sometimes, because I just couldn't keep my big blabber mouth shut. Anyways, those of you who know, don't tell! **

**Thanks for 217 reviews! We're getting on up there!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**And as for when Jasper will come? Well... its like that Monster's University commercial... ****_When it's time to party, we will party hard._**

* * *

**Piper**

Piper would tear her hair off strand by strand if she had the time.

But she didn't. The entire would was against her, wasn't it? She couldn't go to a formal event, a gala, with her helmet; not only would it raise suspicions, but it was highly disrespectful. Normally, she was all for embarrassing and disobeying Jupiter, but he had invited the gladiators to a party in their honor (like they had any) and to show up in improper attire? Disgraceful.

She had taken the cloth and tried multiple ways to hide her femininity, but it seemed like a hopeless task. No matter how hard she tried, Piper ended up looking like a gorgeous women. With one last idea in mind, she bundled up her hair and wrapping the cloth strip around her silk tresses, she tied the knot tightly. There were multiple flyaway hairs, and many that looked in danger of escaping their bondage, but it would have to do.

While the hairstyle still had it's female vibe, a bit of masculinity could be seen—if one were to squint really, _really _hard. Her face was still smeared with a bit of mud, to hide her rosy cheeks and high facial structure. Her legs, well, they hadn't been shaved down with a razor blade in over three months. Needless to say, Piper had gotten used to the feel of the bristles that her shins now bore. And her underarms? Oh, don't even travel up that far...

She was lucky that Malcolm hadn't questioned why she never had a shaving cut on her cheek, as many of the other men had; or if she ever shaved at all, since he had somehow formulated the idea that she was a man. Wonder where he got such a silly premonition?

Piper wished she had her dagger, not only to slice off her offending locks, but for protection. Yes, she had considered that the gala might just be a front for Jupiter to kill her while she was weaponless. Meh. He'd probably kill her anyways, after seeing her tonight. She wasn't entirely sure she could pull it off; to Piper, she obviously looked like a girl, but hopefully, no one else would notice. She was hoping for sickly fifteen-year old boy.

After she left her room, she walked slowly to the gladiator's training area, trying to prolong her life before the others saw through her disguise and ratted her out. She doubted Malcolm, perhaps even Will or Nico, would expose her, but Chris and Eurytion would without hesitation. When she reached the training grounds, everyone was already there and obviously waiting for her; Chris and Eurytion had grabbed a few discarded wooden beginner's swords and had initiated an impromptu duel.

Malcolm scowled when he saw her. "Seriously, Pericles? You couldn't have cleaned up even just a little bit?"

"What do you mean?" Piper feigned innocence to hide her relief.

Malcolm sighed. "Whatever." Then he walked into Chris' duel with Eurytion, quickly finishing the fight with a swift blow to Chris' backside and a chop to a soft spot on Eurytion's neck. "Let's go, you two. Don't hurt each other before we get there, we have to look nice for the gala." Both were clearly annoyed at him, but they lugged themselves to their feet, each sporting new bruises.

* * *

The Gladiator's Gala kicked off with the opening of some expensive wine.

And Piper was hiding in the far corner. She had learned early on that everyone attending knew of her victories in the Colosseum, including the women. Piper had no idea how she had escaped the mob of them, but it was just like she was back home, except the adoring men had been replaced by adoring women. She now knew how her father felt—every woman within fifty years of her age was interested, even those married.

Piper liked her little edge of seclusion, away from the excitement of the party. She was near sure that she was one of the few left sober. She had seen Will twice, both times with different women. She'd only seen Nico once, he'd had a pack of girls following him that he ignored to the point of rudeness. She'd hadn't seen the other gladiators at all, and was beginning to worry for them—well, Malcolm anyways. If Chris and Eurytion got drunk and walked off a cliff, then all the better.

She maintained a defensive posture with her arms crossed, and a defiant glare that would hopefully scare off anyone that approached. The only other person she'd known that she had actually seen was Prince Jason, as he had never left the center of the dance floor. With a glass of wine in one hand and some drunk woman in the other, he kept busy. The prince traded off girls every two minutes, seeming as every girl in attendance had either wanted a famous gladiator or the rich prince to hang off of.

Piper eyed Nico in the crowd again, shoving another girl off him; if only he knew of Piper's safe little corner... Piper couldn't shake the feeling that something was familiar about him. She had sensed it when she first met him, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Black hair. Olive skin. Familiar. All she could link him to was the color green, and that didn't exactly help. When Malcolm came stumbling out of the crowd, Piper gave up on trying to connect it, knowing she was in for it.

"You know, Pericles," he clapped her roughly on the back, causing her stumble forward a few inches, "when I said to save some women for me, I didn't mean all of them!" He laughed heartily. He was in strangely good mood. "Have a drink! Dance with someone!" He suggested, the slight smell of alcohol on his breath gave Piper a clue to his carefree attitude. "Just get out of this corner."

Piper wasn't sure whether she should actually follow his suggestions as he had drank enough to slightly fog his mind, but she didn't have a choice. He wrapped a forceful arm around her shoulders and steered—rather pushed—her to the bar. When they got there, they were surrounded. With multiple women grazing their fingers down her shoulder, some even going as far to flirtatiously pick some of the mud off her cheeks, Piper longed for her corner back.

Piper swatted their hands away, noticing a seething Prince Jason out of the corner of her eye. He downed another glass of wine in a single swig and shoved it in some poor servant's face to get him another. He didn't take physical action against her, especially not in front of his adoring fan girls, who had now crowded around Piper, he just stared two holes through her backside.

A voice coughed slightly, and the entire pack cleared away. Piper was about to fall on her knees and kiss the feet of whoever had just saved her, but as she and Malcolm turned around to discovered who had bailed them out, Piper felt bile rise into her throat. A women in a silk red dress with a bit too much cleavage stood with a sultry smirk gracing her lips; her raven hair had been tied off into a braid and thrown lazily down her back, but she still managed to outshine every other girl there.

Her red lips moved with a smoothness and fluency that even Piper found seductive. "Hello."

Piper didn't speak. Malcolm had that department covered. "H—hi."

The women straightened slightly, almost unnoticeable, "My name is Reyna."

Piper, being a girl, was disgusted with her. She pointed to herself, and then Malcolm. "Pericles. Malcolm."

"I am the princess of Sparta." Neither Piper nor Malcolm bothered to bow. Piper didn't care and Malcolm was frozen. "Would you like to dance?" She was clearly addressing Piper, but Piper tried to avoid it.

"Well. I'm not much of a dancer, but Malcolm here is."

Malcolm seemed to gain control of himself, as if he'd remembered something undoubtedly crucial to his existence. "No. You go on ahead Pericles; I'm not in the mood for dancing."

Before Piper could object, Reyna had pried her hand from her side and lead her to the dance floor. Piper dragged her feet along the floor, trying to tug her palm from the princess', anything to get away from Reyna. Reyna, however, had quite a strong grip. Not only did Piper not want to dance, she had never learned to as a man; she always been on the female end of it and had only danced with her father, who didn't mind when she stepped on his feet.

Piper almost went for Reyna's shoulder before she remembered that the man's hand went on the woman's waist. It felt awkward, but Reyna didn't seem to noticed. Their remained hands linked together with Reyna's hand on her shoulder. Reyna tried to move closer to her, perhaps even to snuggle up to her as Piper was relatively taller, but Piper kept a brick wall of space between the two of them, scooting away every time Reyna came an inch closer. And that's how they made it across the room, in a game of seek and avoid. As they danced, Piper went into complete shutdown mode.

"So, do you like the gala?"

"Yes."

"Isn't it wonderful to have such an extravagant party to be thrown in your honor?"

"Yes."

"Have you tasted the wine yet?"

"No."

"Shame. It's a lovely blend."

"I'm sure it is."

And the conversation went on like that, and it was obvious that soon Reyna would run out of questions, or so Piper thought. The girl kept on talking, and talking, and talking. She spotted Malcolm over Reyna's shoulder and looked at Reyna for a brief second to ensure she was looking, before she mouthed to her friend: _'Help. Me.'_

Malcolm nodded to her in a drunken sort of way, and Piper was beginning to think that perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Malcolm sent down his wine on an unused table, only to misinterpret the proper place of putting it, causing the glass to tumble off break. He muttered an apology to a servant, who immediately ran to clean it, and cupped his hands around his mouth. Oh no.

"Hey everyone!" He shouted. "Make some room!"

And just like that, everyone cleared the dance floor, leaving Piper and Reyna standing dead center with their brick wall of space between them. Everything was silent for a quick moment, before a quiet steady tap came from the orchestra with about four beats between each tap, almost as if someone was snapping their fingers. A solo dance, that's what everyone was waiting for.

Prince Jason suddenly appeared from the crowd, pulling along a girl who was just as drunk as he was. Reyna's shoulders started moving along to the beat of the music as she gave a slight smile to Pericles, then looked to Jason as if he was a dead mouse the house cat had dragged in. Jason pretended not to notice, as he took his partner's hands in a similar fashion to Piper and Reyna.

The tune took a lively jazz, almost tropical, tone, and both couples suddenly straightened taking on the attitude of the tune. Suddenly a break in the music occurred, and Jason's partner suddenly swept her bent leg into Jason's awaiting arm, half-straddling him. Reyna looked to Piper expectantly. Not in your lifetime.

Instead, Piper chose to ignore the two of them, and continued with the rhythm of the music, wishing for the dance to be over soon. When the song took an upbeat, the two couples glided down the dance floor parallel to each other, Reyna leading Piper, turning as the amount of space left ended causing them to nearly ram each other. Jason looked away from his girl to glare at Piper, threateningly, but his partner pulled him back to her.

With a quick spin and a dip, his partner shot her leg into the air with a flexible quick kick as she went down and Jason looked smugly to Piper and Reyna, but for a strange unknown reason he directed it more towards Reyna. Without Piper's knowledge of knowing what she was doing, Reyna took the lead, wrapping her arm around Piper's neck. She swung her leg up to waist length and into Piper's hand, lifting her other leg up, bending it at the knee.

Piper's strength was tested, but she managed to hold Reyna up. Feeling the urge to spin, she did, holding one arm out in triumph as if challenging Prince Jason. Letting Reyna down with a slight dip, Piper tried not to react as Reyna's free hand drifted over what Reyna thought was pectoral muscle. They both looked to Jason and his partner, wondering if they could out do that, and they could.

Jason drifted a few steps away from his partner, and allowed her to slightly run towards. When she reach him, Jason lifted her at the hips; her fingers graced elegance as she held out her arms, flight-bodied, as if she were flying. The crowd applauded for each move, and as Jason pulled his partner down for a final dip, it was plain to see that they had won whatever dance battle they had started. But in all fairness, they had the advantage of an actual man.

Piper, albeit reluctantly, as did Reyna, clapped for the pair, as Jason showed off his partner for a split second before retreating into his pack of women for a new girl. Reyna gave a slight head nod to Piper and then disappeared into the crowd herself, probably expecting Piper to obediently follow her, but she didn't.

Instead Piper went to where she really wanted to be all night: her peaceful corner.

* * *

**Jason**

Perhaps it was the alcohol talking, or the heat of the moment going to his head, but something felt familiar to Jason about Pericles.

It wasn't that they had fought so many times in the ring.

It wasn't that they were mortal enemies.

It was something entirely different—something from his past.

Jason's eye stared at Pericles, standing by himself in a corner, looking at though he really didn't want to be here, and tried to match him to a memory. Nothing. Not at all. It was déjà vu, he knew he had seen him before, not in the arena, he just couldn't remember where.

Had he seen him in the street? Had they gone to battle school together?

With mud caked on his face, it was harder to tell, but with some picked off and a bit more flaked, it was slowly becoming easier to see. A scar lined his cheekbone; it was a small scar, and it was fairly new, perhaps within the previous months. It was a sword cut, Jason had experience with many of those too, and they were not pleasant. As his fogged mind finally connected it to a place. The market.

Jason had been out one night at the market, almost a month ago, who had he seen? Jason, as always, had been half-drunk at the time. A face passed through his mind. A girl. He stared at her, flirted with her, and she'd turned her head in disgust at him. Jason's eyes widened in recognition.

The man who'd defeated so many men, was a woman.

* * *

**Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun. **

**I think this is one of my best cliffies yet. So. He finally knows who she really is—or at least that she's a woman. But no one else, besides Leo and Luke (and he's dead), knows who she actually is. So no Jasper yet, because everyone else thinks she's still a man, but what will Jason do with this information, I wonder?**

**Hmm. Guess we'll have to wait and find out, but do you know what will make the wait go back quicker? If you review! (prepare for another Monster's University reference; I'm really just hung up on that movie for some weird reason right now...)**

* * *

**Would any of my Awesome Possums like some gum? :oD**


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